BISBEE, Ariz., June 5 (UPI) -- The Bisbee, Ariz., City Council voted 5-2 to approve an ordinance allowing civil unions for same-sex couples.
In 30 days, the small town will be the first in Arizona to offer civil unions, The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday.
Councilman Gene Conners first proposed the idea earlier this year and consistently supported it despite opposition from the Center for Arizona Policy and Attorney General Tom Horne, who requested revisions to the wording of the ordinance, the newspaper said.
The use of the word "union" caused consternation among opponents who said the Arizona constitution defined marriage as "only a union of one man and one woman."
A revision of the Bisbee ordinance described the union as a contractual agreement, and eliminated the use of the words "married" and "spouse" in its language, the Republic reported.
"It feels great," Conners said of the passage of the ordinance.
The rights same-sex couples would enjoy under Bisbee's civil union ordinance were not reported.
