Heterosexual widows and widowers automatically get the Social Security benefits of their deceased spouse, but the IRS treats same sex married, civil unioned and domestic partnered couples as strangers with no rights to their partner’s benefits.
In 1935, the Social Security Act was created to help ensure the economic safety of America’s elderly.
The United States Social Security Administration does not recognize same-sex marriages or domestic partnerships as valid relationships.
Consequently, thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender seniors are denied Social Security benefits every year.
Ineligible for Social Security surivors benefits, and faced with undue economic burdens, many LGBT seniors are forced to give up their homes after losing their partner.
One gay man tells what happened after the love of his life passed away:
The very real consequences of DADT repeal; seeking survivor benefits for same-sex partner of Alaska shooting victim; waiting on SCOTUS decision about whether it will hear Prop 8 case; and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
In this month’s “Ask Lambda Legal” column, Lambda Legal answers a question about the federal government’s longstanding ban against donations of blood from men who have sex with men (MSM).
Alaska Pride Conference 2012 kicks off on October 5 with a First Friday showing at Tref.Punkt Studio of Love is Love, a photographic exhibit of LGBT couples from across the state.
United for marriage: Light the way to justice. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this Tuesday and Wednesday, March 26–27, in two cases about freedom to marry. Please join us on Tuesday, March 26, at the federal courthouse in Anchorage (7th & C) in a circle united for equality.
Pariah, a critically acclaimed film about a 17-year-old African-American woman embracing her lesbian identity, will screen at UAA on Friday, November 2, and will be followed by a discussion on acceptance in honor of Mya Dale. The event is free and open to the public.