Why do we want marriage equality?

[sheshe2]

MARRIAGE EQUALITY
Why do we want marriage equality?

Gay and lesbian couples want to get married for most of the same reasons that straight couples want to get married: love, rite of passage, and celebration of commitment. However, if the marriage equality debate was just limited to emotions and social mores, it wouldn’t be a civil rights issue. Straight couples get married for love, but they also do it to claim access to the more than 1,000 legal protections and benefits that come with marriage licenses to safeguard their families and protect themselves. Some of the protections and obligations of marriage in the U.S.A. which are denied to married gay couples include: hospital visitations, child custody, adoption, parenting rights, medical decision-making power, automatic inheritance, standing to sue for wrongful death of a spouse, divorce protections, spousal and child support, access to family insurance policies, exemption from property tax upon death of a spouse, immunity from being forced to testify against one’s spouse, domestic violence protections, and more. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) actually excludes married gay couples from 1,138 federal protections and rights, such as: social security benefits, the Family and Medical Leave Act, health insurance continuation of health coverage (COBRA), immigration law, Medicaid, retirement plans, federal tax laws and more. *

Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals’ freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one’s ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression. Civil rights include the ensuring of peoples’ physical integrity and safety; protection from discrimination.


here are just a few of the thousands of rights and protections denied to LGBT citizens & spouses:

Right to marry / right to divorce
Hospital visitations
Child custody rights
Adoption rights
Parenting rights
Automatic inheritance
Divorce protections
Employment equality
Immigration law
Medicaid
Retirement plans
Right to a fair trial
Social security benefits
Survivor benefits
Freedom of gender expression
Spousal and child support
Federal taxes / joint taxes
Legal protection from gender-identity-based discrimination
Exemption from property tax upon death of a spouse
Immunity from being forced to testify against one’s spouse
Legal protection from discrimination based on sexuality
Health insurance continuation of health coverage
Medical decision-making power on behalf of a spouse
Legal protection from housing discrimination
Right to free expression and free association
The right to serve openly in the military
Right to medial coverage and safe access to care
Standing to sue for wrongful death of a spouse
Access to equal education
Access to family insurance policies
Domestic violence protections
Right to form a family

- See more at: http://www.revelandriot.com/resources/marriage-equality#sthash.lvLU4rL2.dpuf

[RKP5637]

1. This is an excellent post. It's really overwhelming to see it all at once! I do wonder

Last edited Sat Mar 1, 2014, 12:37 AM - Edit history (1)

how many people realize the true inequality. Few outside of LGBT, I suspect.

[sheshe2]

2. Thanks RKP,

More than you know understand the true inequality, even those of us outside of LGBT. There is a need to keep spreading the word so more will understand.

[raven mad]

6. When my niece

has to avoid travel to another state because her marriage will not be recognized if she becomes ill or is injured (she's a rescue diver)? I understood.

When 2 of my lifelong best friends could not inherit when they died (leaving wills naming each other) because the state did not recognize their partnership? I understood.

I don't have to worry about it. I don't have those concerns. But when my BFF decided to marry her husband (she is transgendered) and had to fly her mother, a minister, in to do the service because no one here would? I understood.

Don't limit this to the LGBT community, RKP5637; anyone who is human, and has known love, realize the inequality, understand exactly what it means, and works HARD to oppose it.

[RKP5637]

7. Thanks for sharing this. Sometimes it's very difficult, and it makes no sense at all, other

than those with hatred feeling good about persecuting LGBT as their favorite pastime.

[raven mad]

12. Hatred is a favorite pastime for fear.

What is to be feared? Not a freaking goddam thing. My mom (who died, a whole 3 years ago, at the age of 94) said that to me. When I was 12. And her "hair guy" had his "friend".

They fear. Therefore, they hate. Why fear love? Look at their "Bible".

[William769]

3. It all starts with marriage equality.

Great post!

[sheshe2]

5. love, rite of passage, and celebration of commitment

It does William~

[awoke_in_2003]

4. Great post. K&R.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. Very useful list! Thank you. nt

[ReRe]

9. K&R

Thanks so much for this OP! We take these things so for granted, while they have been denied to so many. I am so glad real marriage equality is coming to everyone!
"What the world needs now, is love sweet love, not just for some but for everyone!"

[MrScorpio]

10. Injustice anywhere means that there's injustice everywhere

I like to keep it straight forward and simple.

[Cha]

11. Excellent she.. mahalo~

[Jamastiene]

13. K&R

People who are still blathering on and on about civil unions ALL need to read this. There is more to it than just semantics, WAY MORE to it.

[Heidi]

14. One more: Marriage is a human right.

I appreciate you posting the reasons, yet I find it sad that any of us must explain--especially in a progressive community--why we want and need our human rights.

[theHandpuppet]

17. +100

Why indeed. Our basic human rights and dignity should not and cannot be trivialized. It's not something that should languish at the bottom of the political priorities pile.

[theHandpuppet]

15. Thanks so much, sheshe

You're a gem!

[LostOne4Ever]

16. Why do I want marriage equality?

Because it IS THE MORALLY RIGHT THING TO DO!!!

I don't need any more reason than that.