Gay Congressman's Spouse Denied Benefits

[Rose Siding]

BOSTON -- Former Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress, was married to another man in Massachusetts at the time of his death, but the federal government will not pay death benefits to his spouse.

Studds married Dean Hara in 2004 after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts. But Hara will not be eligible to receive any portion of Studds' estimated $114,337 annual pension because the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from recognizing Studds' marriage.

Peter Graves, a spokesman for the Office of Personnel Management, which administers the congressional pension program, said same-sex partners are not recognized as spouses for any marriage benefits. He said Studds' case was the first of its kind known to the agency.

Under federal law, pensions can be denied only to lawmakers' same-sex partners and people convicted of espionage or treason, Graves said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701112.html

[pepperbear]

1. this should be interesting....

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[newburgh]

2. Well then, it's about time to make exceptions...

for people convicted of treason, of course.:banghead:

[Ms. Toad]

3. The challenge to the constitutionality

of the Marriage Discrimination Acts will come sometime - perhaps sooner rather than later.

[Benhurst]

4. After today's disgraceful bill signing, they ALL should be kicked

off the government dole.

But this is a terrible injustice, nevertheless.

[countmyvote4real]

5. What a country where gay = treason. n/t

[Tesha]

6. Thank you Bill Clinton!

You and your piece-of-shit "Defense of Marriage Act".

Tesha

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Would you have rather had President Dole

That law, along with welfare reform, were compromises which Clinton needed to make if he wanted to be reelected in 1996.

[Tesha]

10. No, I'd rather have had Clinton stand up for rights...

No, I'd rather have had Clinton stand up for universal human
rights rather than try (vainly) to win friends on the Right.

Tesha

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. Sometimes half a loaf is all that you can get

Which half would you prefer? Clinton vetoing the baill, only to have it signed by President Dole a year later? Or Clinton signing the bill and serving foru more years?

[closeupready]

13. Give me a break. That was NOT the choice.

:eyes:

[Tesha]

14. You forgot the real choice.

3. Clinton, signing the bill (so screwing a major part of
his constituency), serving four more years, and setting
things up for *EIGHT FUCKING YEARS* of George W. Bush.

Tesha

[closeupready]

15. When dems sell out their own constituencies,

Pukes take that as a cue that it's ok to use them as a political football. That's one of the infuriating things about seeing your rights get triangulated. :mad:

[ThomCat]

16. That's a fake compromise.

You don't know that Dole would have won. It's doubtful.

The fact is, Clinton wasn't willing to risk standing up for GLBT people. He sacrificed us to increase his margin.

You can accept that and justify it all you want. I don't know if you're even effected. But those of us who are effected have a valid reason for some anger at Clinton.

Your fake dicholomy only allows two option. Clinton did exactly what he did, or Gore won. That is impossibly simplistic.

[closeupready]

18. Additionally, isn't it true that he advised Kerry to back the FMA?

I know there was some discussion as to whether that report was true or not.

[varun]

7. To all those repugs who say...

...gay couples can get all the benefits of marriage by signing a legal contract, I say:

WHAT ABOUT THIS???

[closeupready]

8. This is not the ideal test case,

since Studds' personal history would figure prominently in any Christian fundie PR push against paying benefits.

But I think it's disgraceful, and shame on all those three- and four-time married heterosexual and closeted homophobes who oppose paying benefits to same-sex partners. :mad:

[Flirtus]

11. And Ken Lay's widow keeps millions

The hits just keep on coming!

[Ian David]

17. Paying his survivor benefits to someone with a penis destroys civilization

This isn't something silly like habeus corpus.

This is serious.

This is haveus penis.

[Az_lefty]

19. what happened to all the RW hype about States Rights???

if Massachusetts says their married then the Fed's have to respect that.