U.S. Sued for Benefits for Same-Sex Marriages

U.S. Sued for Benefits for Same-Sex Marriages

www.cnn.com

A legal advocacy group sued the federal government Tuesday, seeking benefits for 15 gay and lesbian Massachusetts residents who wed after the state legalized same-sex marriage.

The suit contends the federal Defense of Marriage Act denies them protections and benefits that heterosexual couples receive, including health insurance for federal employees, the ability to file as "married filing jointly" on federal income taxes and Social Security spousal protections.

Two other couples plan to file suit after they receive an anticipated rejection of their amended tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service, GLAD said.

President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law in 1996. It effectively bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions by defining marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" and a spouse as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife."

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This is just wrong. Not suing, but the fact that the Federal Government is denying benefits to these people who were legally married in their state(s).

One of the plaintiffs is the partner of a deceased US Congressman, another the partner of a deceased state trooper.

It is just a sad situation that these men and women are being treated like this by our government.

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

If these couples knew that the Defense of Marriage Act was enacted, then they shouldn't be crying. Sorta like, if you don't know the law when committing a crime, you should have known the law. I don't see what difference their social stature is, and I don't think gay and lesbians should be held above federal laws. They wanted to get married, and the state let them--enough.

I don't want to file income tax this year, but that doesn't mean I don't have to, its a law.

reply to post by catamaran


They legally married in the state they lived in.

And, it isn't a matter of being held to higher standards than the Federal government. It is being held as equal in the eyes of the law and not treated like something less than straight people.

I have gay family and friends, and reading about BS like this makes me angry just on principle. They are no more and definitely no less than any other person, yet they are treated as such (less, that is).