 From
big cities to small rural towns, from urban Connecticut to the far
reaches of northern Maine, same-sex couples and their families are an
integral part of the New England landscape. Legal recognition of
same-sex relationships, however, is not as universal, varying
tremendously from place to place and situation to situation.
Unmarried partners can typically protect particular aspects of
their relationships, but only in limited ways. They may be able to make
arrangements to share certain rights and responsibilities regarding
employer-based health insurance, medical care and decision-making,
inheritance and jointly owned property. However, patching together
these piecemeal protections can be complicated and costly, and the net
result is far from the automatic legal protection of marriage. Families
remain vulnerable in a host of ways. Same-sex couples often find that
they have to fight for their relationships to be recognized, from
mundane matters like applying for family membership at a health club to
tragic events like losing a loved one in the 9/11 attacks and trying to
receive compensation.
Same-sex couples need to be able to protect their
relationships and their families more comprehensively, and GLAD is
blazing the trail. Historic legal victories don't happen by themselves.
GLAD won marriage in Massachusetts -- the first place in the United
States -- as well as the earlier landmark victory that led to Vermont
civil unions. These GLAD cases have taken the entire LGBT civil rights
movement to another level.
Nonetheless, even for couples who benefit from these
tremendous civil rights advances, significant inequalities remain.
Federal law refuses to recognize and protect married same-sex couples
and it permits states to legislate the same official disrespect. When
same-sex couples travel or move out of state, they run the risk of
having their legal relationships ignored or dismissed. In New England,
both New Hampshire and Maine prohibit same-sex couples from marrying
and refuse to respect marriages of same-sex couples from other places.
We still have a long way to go before same-sex couples are
truly equal under the law. Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender
people deserve to be able to fall in love, express their commitment and
live their lives together within the safety and comfort of legal
security. GLAD is making it happen.
| "I found out about GLAD (being new to the East Coast) from my boss at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. I was looking at the website and found an article saying that domestic partners’ medical insurance isn't taxable under certain circumstances. I sent an email in asking for more details. GLAD sent one of their publications in the mail and, using that information, we determined that we qualified for untaxed medical and dental insurance! I took the information to the benefits folks at work. They ran it past the hospital attorneys, who not only made arrangements for me not to get taxed on benefits in the future, but also went back and issued corrected W2's for the two previous years that we had had domestic partners insurance. They even went so far as to notify other people in similar situations and do the same for them." - Testimonial from Legal InfoLine |
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| Publications |
Click here for GLAD's publications on Marriage
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