1138 Why that number? There are 1,138 federal rights, protections and responsibilities automatically granted to married heterosexual couples. These are the same rights, protection and responsibilities that are being denied to Gay & Lesbian couples in many states. The Religious Right and the Repugnant Party are also trying to deny these rights with the Federal Marriage Amendment.
An update to the 1997 GAO report (1,049 Federal Benefits for Married Couples) found that 120 new statutory provisions involving marital status were enacted since the last report, and 31 were repealed or amended to remove marital status as a factor. The new total is 1,138.
The rights cover all aspects of life such as health benefits, tax benefits, survivor's benefits and the list goes on. I can tell you from personal experience that the cost to have legal documents to cover most of these issues can run as much as $5,000 or more and are no guarantee that your wishes will be honored. I have had many friends whose wills have been over turned by conservative judges and juries. The wills dealt not only with property but with custody of children that the couples had adopted. If you have lived with a loved one for 20 years and built a home and a life, you still stand to lose everything when your lover dies.
We are not asking for special rights when we ask for marriage equality. We are asking for equal protection under the law. We are asking not to be treated as second class citizens. No matter what anyone thinks of our life, they do not have the right to legalize discrimination. Anyone who disagrees with discrimination being written into the Constitution needs to contact their elected official and Party leaders and let them know.
The Senate will be voting on the National Marriage Amendment again on June 5, 2006.
