This morning, reports from Canada caused a ripple of anxiety throughout the United States when a Canadian government attorney put forth the position that Canadian marriages of same-sex couples from places where same-sex marriage is not legal would not be considered valid in Canada, either. The issue arose when a lesbian couple sought a divorce
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Heartbreaking Will Contest for Widow of Chicago Lesbian
The National Center for Lesbian Rights has a new client, Jennifer Tobits. Jennifer’s case is tragic, symbolic, and legally significant. It’s tragic in its human dimensions–a grieving widow is forced to contend with her late partner’s homophobic and heartless family and their efforts to erase her legal marriage. It’s symbolic in its demonstration of why
“I” is for Intersex
Today’s post is to let you know about a non-profit organization doing important legal advocacy work on behalf of a group that many people know only as the “I” on the end of “LGBTQI.” Just for the record, that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning—and the “I” is for intersex.
A person born
Same-Sex Marriage in New York, Just in Time for Pride Weekend
The annual LGBT Pride Celebration in New York City will be a festive one this year in the wake of Friday’s passage of a same-sex marriage bill in the Empire State. New York, the country’s most populous state, joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia in offering full marriage equality
Financial Roundup: Bankruptcy and Taxes and Benefits, Oh My!
There really is never a dull moment for same-sex couples trying to go about their financial lives just like everybody else. In some cases, that’s working out okay. In others, not so much.
First, bankruptcy. In a surprising move on Monday, June 13, 19 of the 24 judges in the Central District of California bankruptcy
Tax Time Extra Complicated for Same-Sex Couples
Filing tax returns is not that much fun for anyone, except maybe General Electric. But for same-sex couples, tax time is fraught with complications unique to relationships that are recognized by the state but not by the IRS–except sometimes. Confused yet? You should be.
In general, the IRS doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages or marriage-equivalent
USCIS Hold Ends As Quickly As It Began
Just two days ago, I blogged about an announcement from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that it would put on hold decisions about cases involving same-sex binational couples–a seeming big step away from the discriminatory policies based on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that have previously dominated the agency’s decision-making.
USCIS Puts Same-Sex Partner Green Card Cases on Hold
Responding to President Obama’s recent statement regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) has asked its field offices to stop proceedings in any cases involving foreign partners married to same-sex spouses. In other words, the USCIS will hold off on denying green cards in same-sex marriage cases,
Discrimination by Complication: Same-Sex Parents Must Do More
Opposite-sex couples with children don’t think much about what would happen if one of them were unable to care for the kids–obviously, the other parent would step in. Likewise, married couples should make wills, but even if they don’t, a surviving spouse gets most or all of the deceased spouse’s property.
For same-sex couples