An Apology to All the Gay a2kers

Interesting. What are the 100's of legal benefits of marriage?

Married couples receive more than a thousand federal benefits that are not offered to couples in civil unions, said Ron Wheeler a member of the panel that discussed same-sex marriage Friday.


http://www.dailylobo.com/global_user_elements/printpage.cfm?storyid=644029

Thank you, good link!

1. No automatic right to make health care decisions for partner

2. No automatic right to visit partner in the hospital

3. No right to sue for wrongful death if partner negligently killed

4. No right to consent or refuse consent to an autopsy of partner's body

5. No vested right to be buried in cemetery plot with partner

6. No automatic right to inherit cemetery plot

7. No automatic right to make arrangements for funeral or dispose of deceased partner's body

8. No right to donate partner's body or organs after death

9. No automatic right to inherit deceased partner's estate

10. Required to comply with childcare facility regulations when caring only for partner's children

11. Required to comply with childcare facility regulations when caring only for partner's children

12. A prior will is not automatically revoked when the relationship ends

13. No right to be notified in a public notice before partner's will is destroyed by an attorney

14. No preference to be appointed personal representative of deceased partner's estate

15. No right to continue to live in the deceased partner's home for one year after partner's death

16. No automatic right to notice in matters involving deceased partner's estate

17. No right to support from deceased partner's estate

18. No right to demand one-quarter share of partner's estate if will leaves less than that

19. No automatic right to notice that a conservatorship or guardianship is being filed against partner unless currently living together

20. May not get highest preference by court to be appointed as guardian or conservator for incapacitated partner



21 No right to obtain life insurance on partner

22 No uninsured motorist insurance coverage for partner

23 No right to spousal cash surrender valuation of term life insurance on partner

24 No right to coverage under deceased partner's group health insurance plan.

25 No protection for partner's home in bankruptcy

26 Private conversations with partner are not protected in court

27 Conversations with a marriage counselor are not protected in court

28 No automatic education on fetal alcohol syndrome

29 No court-ordered counseling upon divorce

30 No right to crisis counseling through state crime victims' compensation fund if partner is a victim of international terrorism

31 Partner not responsible for family expenses

32 No automatic paternity for children

33 Must testify against partner in a court case

34 Must surrender home to satisfy lien for partner's unpaid medical treatment in long-term care facility

35 No right to sue long-term care facility that fails to discharge lien in a timely manner once overdue charges for partner are paid

36 No right to sell property qualified for farm use assessment to partner without disqualification

37 No right to avoid court appointment of a property manager during foreclosure of partner's home

38 No right to maintain a dwelling on EFU (exclusive farm use) property even if occupied by farm operator's partner

39 No right to maintain a dwelling in a farm or forest zone even if lawfully created or acquired by the owner's partner

40 No right as a partner to a landowner to obtain a "landowner preference tag" for hunting from the Fish & Wildlife Commission

41 No right to private visits in long-term care facility

42 No right to receive personal effects from deceased partner's body

43 No access to partner's death record

44 No automatic right of survivorship for jointly owned real property

45 No right to loss of support payments from the state crime victims' compensation fund if partner killed in a crime

46 No right to family therapy from state crime victims' compensation fund in case of child sexual abuse

47 No right to crisis counseling through state crime victims' compensation fund if partner is a victim of international terrorism

48 No right to exclude capital gain on principal residence based on partner's ownership

49 No court-ordered life insurance upon divorce

50 No right to deduct partner's medical expenses on income tax return

51 No right to receive deceased partner's wages

52 No right to deceased partner's wage claim against non-paying employer

53 No right to work on partner's farm for less than minimum wage

54 No eligibility for scholarship if partner is disabled or killed on the job

55 No right to sue for partner's death that was a result of an unsafe workplace

56 No right to workers' compensation benefits if partner disabled or killed on the job

57 No right to opt out of workers' compensation insurance as a family business

58 No right to sue non-employer for negligently killing partner on the job

59 No right to continue workers' compensation benefits until remarriage if partner is killed or disabled on the job

60 No right to examine or get copy of autopsy report of deceased partner



61. No right to receive personal effects from deceased partner's body

62. No access to partner's death record

63. No automatic right of survivorship for jointly owned real property

64. No right to sell property qualified for farm use assessment to partner without disqualification

65. No right to loss of support payments from the state crime victims' compensation fund if partner killed in a crime

66. No right to family therapy from state crime victims' compensation fund in case of child sexual abuse

67. Must pay taxes on employer health insurance benefits for partner

68. No right to exclude capital gain on principal residence based on partner's ownership

69. Must pay taxes on employer health insurance benefits for partner

70. No right to deduct partner's medical expenses on income tax return

71. No right to receive deceased partner's wages

72. No right to deceased partner's wage claim against non-paying employer

73. No right to work on partner's farm for less than minimum wage

74. No eligibility for scholarship if partner is disabled or killed on the job

75. No right to sue for partner's death that was a result of an unsafe workplace

76. No right to workers' compensation benefits if partner disabled or killed on the job

77. No right to opt out of workers' compensation insurance as a family business

78. No right to sue non-employer for negligently killing partner on the job

79. No right to continue workers' compensation benefits until remarriage if partner is killed or disabled on the job

80. A prior will is not automatically revoked when entering a new relationship


81. No automatic right to special retirement benefit after death of partner who was a police officer or a firefighter

82. No right as unmarried couple with children to be treated as married for workers' compensation rights and benefits

83. No automatic right to partner's group insurance provided by public retirement system.

84. No right to opt out of unemployment insurance as a family business

85. No right to receive deceased partner's unemployment benefits

86. Required to comply with farm labor contractor regulations when working only with partner

87. Subjected to employment discrimination laws when hiring partner in family business

88. Employer can refuse to hire or discharge employee because it employs or has employed partner

89. No protection through emergency court orders in case of divorce

90. No tax exemption for dividing property upon divorce

91. No dividing retirement plans upon divorce

92. No automatic right to receive partner's judicial retirement pension

93. No automatic right to make retirement selection from deceased partner's public employee retirement benefit

94. No automatic right to partner's pre-Medicare insurance benefit provided by public retirement system

95. No automatic right to partner's Medicare supplemental insurance paid for by public retirement system

96. No automatic right to approve partner's public employee retirement choices

97. No automatic right to special pre-retirement public employee retirement benefit after death of partner who was a judge

98. No right for partner of disabled or killed public safety officer to Public Safety Memorial Fund benefits

99. No automatic right to receive partner's public employment benefits

100. No right to retired partner's health insurance offered by local government employers

Thanks boomerrang I had no idea.

You're very welcome.

In my small scope I could only think of issues like ins benefits and the like....

That's cool that you're open to learning more about the subject, cannistershot.

I always have been. It's hard to see someone as evil when you work with them everyday(same thing for my Muslim friends). That is why I struggle with this.

I think it is FANTASTIC when someone wants to educate themselves! Cannister, you are a hero!

Ignorance is the #1 disease in this country.

Arrogance is #2

Yup....

Kudos cannister, I'm afraid I misjudged you.

I'm still a republican I won't lie about that and that won't change. BUT I do want to learn more about this and hear others opinions.

Kudos, cannister.

Its not exactly a Republican plank--but if we can just talk rationally to other Republicans--without being forceful--just tell what we know--who knows, it MAY be a Republican plank before too long.

I join the offering of kudos to cannistershot.

I know I changed the mind of one friend who planned to vote in favor of the amendment. If I can have even a tiny part in helping someone else understand than I will feel that I have done my best.

I'm not gay - that's not why I've been so vocal about this issue. I do know very well what it means to love someone and to accept responsiblity for someone and to be laughed out of attorney's offices and slog through the courts in hopes of offering legal protection to someone I love.

I do know very well what it is like to lug around legal documents everywhere I go to prove my status as decision maker.

In my opinion, if this had been marked as a civil-rights issue for all of us, instead of a gay/straight, moral blah blah blah it would have won.

The people who did not or do not care to educate themselves but voted on this issue anyway did a grave misservice to their fellow citizen - especially the teeny-tiny ones.

This kind of discussion does a heart good. :-D

Saskatchewan OKs Same-Sex Marriage

Fri Nov 5, 6:53 PM ET World - AP Canada

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=517&e=1&u=/ap/20041105/ap_on_re_ca/canada_gay_marriage

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - A Saskatchewan court ruling Friday made the Canadian prairie province the country's seventh jurisdiction to allow homosexuals to wed.



Justice Donna Wilson sided with courts in five other provinces and one territory, saying existing marriage laws discriminate against gay couples and were unconstitutional.


The Saskatchewan ruling came after five gay couples went to court seeking the right to wed. At least one couple have said they plan to say their vows as early as this weekend.


Courts in Quebec, British Columbia, Ontario, the Yukon, Manitoba and Nova Scotia have already ruled in the same way.


There are currently two couples challenging the law in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Supreme Court of Canada is in the process of evaluating a draft federal law that could make gay weddings legal from coast to coast. The high court is expected to rule next year.


The decision came after many American voters showed their disapproval over the issue as 11 states on Tuesday supported constitutional amendments rejecting legal marriage for homosexual couples.

I agree about cannistershot. S/he's showing a level of open-mindedness not often exhibited by either side of the aisle on this subject.

Hi Ceili -- Thanks for posting that. It is very interesting and certainly not well-known down here. What is it about Canada and the United States that makes us so different?