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As long as same-sex marriages are not recognized in all 50 states, same-sex couples will be denied the support systems vital to maintaining health, well-being, and financial security.
The Dec. 1 Fed Page article “LGBT baby boomers face hurdles at retirement time” was a fairly comprehensive look at the hardships faced by many older, married lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples, especially those who have been denied Social Security survivor’s benefits due to a state’s failure to recognize their same-sex marriage.
Congress Member Mike Honda opened the LGBT Town Hall in San Jose with a thanks to the LGBT community for its grassroots work over the years that created a better world in which his Trans granddaughter will grow up. He pledged to continue his work in Congress to make sure all same-sex couples have access to Social Security as we do in California.
More about the ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign can be found here.
On June 25, Gerontology @ UMass Boston, The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), LGBT Aging Project, and the Fenway Institute presented a town hall meeting regarding Social Security benefits and the LGBT community. Panelists including Associate Professor of Gerontology Edward Miller addressed important changes to Social Security following the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) one year ago. The purpose of the meeting was to inform people in the LGBT community of their constitutional rights of marriage equality, which includes their eligibility for spousal Social Security benefits.
Read more by clicking here or the photo above.
For Kathy Murphy, the difference between being gay or straight is $583 a month.
Retirement should have been a “slam dunk,” the 62-year-old Texas widow says. She saved, bought a house with her spouse and has a pension through her employer.
Related reading:
- Know Your Rights (KYR) is an initiative designed to educate and motivate LGBT elder couples to file claims for their earned benefits with the Social Security Administration.
- Lambda Legal Sues Social Security Administration on Behalf of Texas Lesbian Widow and National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare.
“This year the Healthcare Equality Index, a report produced by the Human Rights Campaign that shows which hospitals and health care facilities score best on measures relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients, visitors and employees, is flashing some big numbers…”
Learning about #socialsecurity for #samesex married couples @NCPSSM @OaklandPride @EBStonewallDems @calwellness #LGBT
via Twitter.
Earlier today, the National Committee Foundation held an event called Know Your Rights.
The experts on the panel explained how Social Security benefits have changed for the LGBT community since the Windsor decision, and how seniors can potentially maximize their benefits.
A nonprofit is offering three educational town halls in the greater Los Angeles area this week to help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender married couples understand their new rights as it pertains to Social Security benefits.
As a result of last year’s Supreme Court Windsor ruling in the Defense of Marriage Act — which struck down the section of 1996 law that denied gay and lesbian couples the protections afforded by marriage — the Social Security Administration is now providing benefits to same-sex wedded couples.
More information about the events can be found here.
NEWS RELEASE
“Today’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) decision impacts more than one thousand areas of federal law, including Social Security. For too long same-sex couples and many of their children have been denied access to Social Security benefits, even though they have contributed to the program throughout their working lives. Overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) should end this benefit discrimination by enabling the Social Security Administration to allow same-sex spouses to receive the Social Security spousal and survivor benefits they are otherwise entitled to.
It’s time for the Obama administration and Congress to follow the Court’s lead and reverse this benefit inequity. With the way now cleared thanks to DOMA’s repeal, we urge the Social Security Administration to move quickly to review and revise its policies regarding benefits for same-sex couples. In Congress, any legislation that may be necessary to implement this ruling and provide benefits to LGBT families should be allowed a prompt hearing and floor vote.”
- Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
When I was a teenager in the ’80s we lived with my grandmother, who had dementia. My mother was a “woman in the middle”—she had a few children at home, a parent who needed care, a full-time job, a husband and a house to take care of. My grandmother had helped to raise me so I was thankful to be able to return the love and care for her. This experience set the stage for my education and my work in the fields of aging and social work, including a doctoral dissertation looking at the caregiving and bereavement experiences of older gay men and lesbians who provided care for their partners.