What are the benefits that married couples have that gay couples do not?

Question

I'm doing a pro-gay marriage research blog, but I need some information and google and yahoo aren't enough. What are the benefits that a married couple has that are denied to a gay couple? Please, just the facts, no opinions. Thanks

Answer 1

Heterosexual marriage includes 1400 rights and privileges, covering everything from health care to parenting to immigration to taxation. Although some of these rights may be approximated by wills, powers of attorney, and other legal instruments, most are unavailable to same-gender couples at any price. Especially when death or illness strikes, this discrimination can have cruel and tragic consequences.

We don't know whether same-sex couples would enjoy any of these benefits, and there are reasons to think they would not. Not any time soon anyway.

For instance, a recent U.S. Census estimated that in the United States there were almost 40,000 lesbian and gay couples in which one partner is a U.S. citizen (or permanent resident), and the other a foreign national.

This figure does not include the many thousands of binational couples who have to hide the fact they are partners - are forced to live apart - or who have been forced to leave the United States.

Under discriminatory U.S. statutes, these couples have no recognition under the law.

Answer 2

Tax deductions when you file, lists of different benefits, the ability to be a married couple according to America. There could be two people that have been together for 20+ yeras and if one fo them were to get into a car accident and be in a coma not only will the other partner not have a say in life support (keeping it on or turning it off), but the partner will have no right to the house they live in since they're relationship wasn't considered a union.

In NY and other states, they have what's called common law marraige, that means that two people of OPPOSITE gender are considered married even if they never had a ceremony. See the lop-sidedness?

Answer 3

Be glad you're not doing the opposing view. Articles supporting gay-marriage rights FAR exceed the number of articles denying those rights. Do you have access to a professional literary database?

From a legal standpoint, straight marriages are recognized as legal, whereas gay-marriages typically are classified as "partnerships" and not marriage. There's also insurance rights, property rights and many other rights granted to the traditional married couple that are not granted to the gay-couple...

Answer 4

Making medical decisions if one partner is incapacitated, inheritance without a "death tax" assuming one partner's family does not contest the ownership of the inheritance, visitation rights in a hospital, insurance coverage, survivor inheriting a spouses' social security, adoption rights, income tax considerations/deductions, basically everything that is gained by a marriage license.
Although many rights can(at great expense) be approximated through other means(wills, power of attorney), some places(like Virginia) have made it against the law to create any sort of legal contract that approximates the benefits of a marriage for same-sex couples.

Answer 5

There are at least 1,049 protections, benefits and responsibilities extended to married couples under federal law, according to a 1997 study by the General Accounting Office. Gay and lesbian couples in lifelong relationships pay higher taxes and are denied basic protections under the law. They receive no Social Security survivor benefits upon the death of a partner, despite paying payroll taxes. They must pay federal income taxes on their employer’s contributions toward their domestic partner’s health insurance, while married employees do not have to pay such taxes for their spouses. They must pay all estate taxes when a partner dies. They often pay significant tax penalties when they inherit a 401(k) from their partner. They are denied family leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. All American families deserve these crucial protections.

Answer 6

Well, tax purposes. And shared benefits of the other person's benefits from their job. And being able to have a wedding where everyone can witness their union and share in the joy of making their relationship as legitimate as straight couples can. I am not gay but I can't imagine how I'd feel if someone told me that I was not allowed to marry the person I was in love with and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Good luck with your blog.

Answer 7

The big one for me is the ability to make decisions concerning her health if she is not able to. I've seen several situations now where life partners, with many years together were shut out of making the life and death decisions for their partner, not allowed to see them in a hospital setting, icu, nursing home and funerals because their "family" had the right to be there and make decisions not them. Living will's are fine but if you have to contest it, you wind up in court way after the decisions are made and in some cases the person is dead. In a heterosexual marriage, the wife or husband is legally next of kin, and I want that right.

Answer 8

Depends where - but mainly it's legal protection, recognise marriage the partner has a right to superannuation, insurance money & otehr benitits.

Answer 9

For instance, if a gay/lesbian dies, his/her partner doesn’t currently have access to survivor benefits under the state Workers’ Compensation Act. He/she can’t get the back wages owed to her deceased boyfriend/girlfriend.

Answer 10

well, i would hardly call them "benefits" but socio-politically and biologically speaking... heterosexuals have children... often unplanned. non-hetersoxuals don't, unless they're very, very, very planned. so this changes the dynamic of the relationship in a lot of ways... also a lack of imminent sexism changes things... there can still be issues of masculinity or femininity being more or less desirable... but it's not the same as anatomical sexual barriers in the relationship and socially with friends and family. OH and of course more to the point of your question, or course all the little things adults and especially married adults take for granted... taxes of all kinds, insurance filings of all kinds... and those are just the financial issues. hospital visitation rights, burial rights, inheritance rights, child custody rights... etc.. in most states the parents of a gay person can take a child away from their partner if it is their child's biological child. gay couples have to jump through all kinds of legal loopholes and pay the attorney fees for them, just to get a hopeful approximation of marital benefits.. that MIGHT protect them if there is some conflict or litigation.