Study examines effect of marriage on gay couples

(San Francisco, California) The legal recognition of same-sex relationships, including marriage, influences how gay and lesbian baby boomers prepare for late life and end of life issues, a new study has found.

Unmarried same-sex couples may suffer greater fear and anxiety around end of life issues than those in state-sanctioned unions, …

Gay marriage gets recognition – in the dictionary

(San Francisco, California) Same-sex marriage might not be recognized in most states, but it is in the dictionary.

Merriam-Webster included a secondary definition of marriage to recognize same-sex relationships several years before gay couples were allowed to tie the knot anywhere in the United States, but the change had gone largely …

Rights Groups Release Updated Guide For New York Same-Sex Couples Married Out of State

(New York) — Lambda Legal, Empire State Pride Agenda, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union have released a guide outlining government protections and obligations for same-sex couples in New York who married out of state. The new guide is released as the first anniversary of Martinez v. County of Monroe draws near, and in light of last week’s decision in Lewis v. New York State Dept. of Civil Service – both notable appellate court rulings that upheld government recognition of out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples.

The document, titled: Your Government Respects Your Marriage: Developments in New York State Agency Recognition of Same-Sex Couples’ Out-of-State Marriages, details many of the ways state agencies around New York accord legal respect to married same-sex couples. Lambda Legal, NYCLU, Empire State Pride Agenda and ACLU worked closely with state agencies to confirm and clarify the legal rights afforded to same-sex couples married out of state. The summary offers an overview of some of these statewide protections.

“The guide is a crucial primer for same-sex couples who are recognized as spouses in New York,” said Susan Sommer, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, who has litigated many of the cases confirming marriage respect for same-sex couples. “It shows significant areas in which these couples now are protected, ranging from access to health insurance, to accurate birth certificates for children born to same-sex couples, to important workers’ compensation benefits if tragedy strikes. But until New Yorkers in same-sex relationships can marry in their home state, they are still vulnerable to discrimination.”

“Couples in New York who have never known true security for their families are finally getting a taste of the family protections other married couples and their children enjoy,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The governor’s determination was based on the NYCLU’s victory in the case Martinez v. County of Monroe, in which an appeals court unanimously ruled that New York State must recognize valid out-of-state same-sex marriages. We commend the governor and our state agencies for following the law and standing up for fairness. But lasting progress requires leadership from both the judicial and legislative branches. It’s time for our political leaders to do what’s right. New Yorkers should not have to leave the state to protect their families.”

“Policymakers and elected officials in New York should recognize that we’re already living in a state with marriage for same-sex couples. Unfortunately, these couples currently have to go out of state to have their weddings performed,” said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda. “Not only does this mean a loss of literally millions of dollars to New York’s economy, but it is also patently unfair to same-sex couples. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to go elsewhere to get married when they want to stand up in front of friends and family right here and get married in their home state.”

To read the document in its entirety visit: http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/ny_governor_respects_marriage.pdf

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/rights-groups…

Rights Groups Release Updated Guide for New York Same-Sex Couples Married Out of State

(New York, January 26, 2009) — Lambda Legal, Empire State Pride Agenda, New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union have released a guide outlining government protections and obligations for same-sex couples in New York who married out of state. The updated guide is released as the first anniversary of Martinez v. County of Monroe draws near, and in light of last week’s decision in Lewis v. New York State Dept. of Civil Service — both notable appellate court rulings that upheld government recognition of out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples.
The document, titled: Your Government Respects Your Marriage: Developments in New York State Agency Recognition of Same-Sex Couples’ Out-of-State Marriages, details many of the ways state agencies around New York accord legal respect to married same-sex couples. Lambda Legal, NYCLU, Empire State Pride Agenda and ACLU worked closely with state agencies to confirm and clarify the legal rights afforded to same-sex couples married out of state. The summary offers an overview of some of these statewide protections.
“The guide is a crucial primer for same-sex couples who are recognized as spouses in New York,” said Susan Sommer, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, who has litigated many of the cases confirming marriage respect for same-sex couples. “It shows significant areas in which these couples now are protected, ranging from access to health insurance, to accurate birth certificates for children born to same-sex couples, to important workers’ compensation benefits if tragedy strikes. But until New Yorkers in same-sex relationships can marry in their home state, they are still vulnerable to discrimination.”

“Couples in New York who have never known true security for their families are finally getting a taste of the family protections other married couples and their children enjoy,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The governor’s determination was based on the NYCLU’s victory in the case Martinez v. County of Monroe, in which an appeals court unanimously ruled that New York State must recognize valid out-of-state marriages of lesbian and gay couples. We commend the governor and our state agencies for following the law and standing up for fairness. But lasting progress requires leadership from both the judicial and legislative branches. It’s time for our political leaders to do what’s right. New Yorkers should not have to leave the state to protect their families.”
“Policymakers and elected officials in New York should recognize that we’re already living in a state with marriage for same-sex couples. Unfortunately, these couples currently have to go out of state to have their weddings performed,” said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda. “Not only does this mean a loss of literally millions of dollars to New York’s economy, but it is also patently unfair to same-sex couples. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to go elsewhere to get married when they want to stand up in front of friends and family right here and get married in their home state.”

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/rights-groups…

Gay sex violence row hits Democrat

A group of young voters staged a demonstration outside the Democratic Party headquarters yesterday accusing it of abandoning same-sex couples to the scourge of domestic violence.

They claim they have been deceived by the party and that it has turned a blind eye to violence inflicted by parties involved in same- sex relationships after a prominent party member opposed an amendment to the Domestic Violence Ordinance that would offer gay couples equal protection under the law.

The protesters, mainly students and social workers, pasted a symbolic black paper crow over the party’s logo of a wing-clapping pigeon to show their displeasure.

See Gay sex violence row hits Democrat
The Standard, Hong Kong - 7 hours ago

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/gay-sex-viole…

NJ gay marriage report may help couples in Vermont

(Montpelier, Vermont) Same-sex marriage advocates in Vermont say a report by a New Jersey state commission that found that civil unions do not provide the benefits of marriage could help Vermont lawmakers support a gay marriage bill.

Vermont was the first state to recognize same-sex relationships – legalizing civil unions in …

South Africans still not OK with same-sex relationships

82% of the adult population of South Africa think that sex between two men or two women could be considered ‘always wrong,’ according to the latest South African Social Attitudes Survey.

Just 8% thought it was never wrong.

“Gay and lesbian identities continue to be characterised as ‘un-African’,” according to the report into the survey from the Human Sciences Research Council.

Figures for the last five years show a consistent 80% opposition to gay people.

“The assertion of ‘un-Africanness’ conceals a moral and cultural view that African societies are somehow unique and therefore immune to what is perceived to be a Western and European import.”

See South Africans still not OK with same-sex relationships