Promoted by Steven D with minor edits.
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found that 120 new statutory provisions involving marital status were enacted since the last report, and 31 were repealed or amended to remove marital status as a factor.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 over 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.
Cross posted @refinish69, My Left Wing, Booman Tribune, Texaskos
my podcast Doing My Part For The Left
Thank you and thanks for the edits. LOL
Mary Cheney wants everyone to know she supports at least 4 or 5 of those rights, as long as it doesn’t hurt dad’s political fortunes or upset him in any way. And she wants everyone to know that she and dad are fighting the good fight for equality by destroying all of the rights that people already have. Cause that’s just the kind of wonderful person she is.
Mary Cheney is a bitch and a sale out. She has no soul!!!!
“THX 1138” was a pretty interesting film that dealt with human rights issues on a serious scale. not necessarily focused on the rights and freedoms specifically addressed in this diary, but I am struck by the numerical 1138 coincidence.
(“THX 1138 was George Lucas’ first full length film also, and much of it was filmed (supposedly) in the BART tunnels underconstruction at the time in San Francisco during the time I lived there in ’69-’70.)
I saw the film a long time ago. LOL
Very glad this diary was front paged and given the heads up ahead of time to write to our Senators.
No taxation without representation is what I always think about when any issue comes up concerning ‘rights’ for gay people. Since when is marriage a ‘special right’?..
The republican party wants to be known apparently as the party that puts discrimination into our Constitution making a mockery of the Constitution and what it is supposed to stand for. Besides that I just get sick and tired of these homophobic pricks.
Thank you!!!!!!