A Civil Rights Issue...

This was sent to me by a dear friend. I did not write it but it speaks to why I whole heartedly disagree with the passing of Prop 8. This isn't a gay/straight issue, this is civil rights issue.

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This is the problem. The gay community does NOT share the same rights as other married couples. The list below is a sample of this gross misunderstanding. The civil rights we take for granted are not yet shared with our fellow Americans. We are not the land of the free yet, but we can be the home of the brave. We can continue to educate our friends and neighbors about this misunderstanding. Share this information with anyone that believes civil unions = marriage! This is not an issue of morality, opinion, or ownership of the definition of a word, it is the CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE of this generation.

Question: What are the legal benefits of marriage?

With the denial of gay marriage, gay and lesbian couples are kept from more than just a ceremony and marriage certificate. There are many real legal and economic benefits of marriage that gays and lesbians are denied because they are not allowed to marry. What are the legal rights and benefits of marriage?

Answer: According to Lambda Legal Defense, more than 1,400 legal rights are conferred upon heterosexual married couples in the United States. By not being allowed to marry, gays and lesbians are denied these rights. Even in the state of Massachusetts, the only US state with legalized gay marriage, most of the benefits of marriage do not apply, because the Defense of Marriage Act states that the federal government only recognizes marriage as "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife".

Here are some of the legal rights that married couples have and gays and lesbians are denied:

Joint parental rights of children
Joint adoption
Status as "next-of-kin" for hospital visits and medical decisions
Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
Immigration and residency for partners from other countries
Crime victims recovery benefits
Domestic violence protection orders
Judicial protections and immunity
Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
Public safety officers death benefits
Spousal veterans benefits
Social Security
Medicare
Joint filing of tax returns
Wrongful death benefits for surviving partner and children
Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
Child support Joint Insurance Plans
Tax credits including: Child tax credit, Hope and lifetime learning credits
Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
Estate and gift tax benefits
Welfare and public assistance
Joint housing for elderly
Credit protection
Medical care for survivors and dependents of certain veterans

These are just a few of the 1400 state and federal benefits that gays and lesbians are denied by not being able to marry. Most of these benefits cannot be privately arranged or contracted for within the legal system. Of those that can be legally prepared, the cost is far more than the average $100 marriage licensing fee that grants these rights to heterosexual couples.

If you still hold firm to your definition of marriage, won't you at least join the fight for equal rights of all United States citizens?
"If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other."
-Carl Schurz