Who do ya love? (It can cost you)
I get this great magazine delivered to me at my house, called Equality. It is the magazine of the Human Rights Campaign. Their website is here. But nowhere on the Internet is their news magazine to be found, so I will refer you back to the website for another article which makes similar points to the one I will be referencing.
Back in September, we addressed this issue here and Stlo7 gave us this video:
and this one:
Just a couple of weeks ago, we shed new light on the issue, as the NYS appellate court declared that NYS must recognize same sex marriages which have been performed outside the state, which is a good thing for those couples who have been afforded the luxury right of marriage. but, so many are not so lucky:
Because the benefits of marriage are denied to gay couples, the GLBT community faces a higher burden when trying to provide for our families. When it comes to federal law, our families are strangers-even couples who are married in Massachusetts or are parties to civil unions.
(snip)
The good news: HRC has been pushing corrective legislation, and the coming years will provide the best chance we have had to get it done.
(snip)
One of these bills is the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007. This legislation would allow a federal employee and same-sex domestic partner to be eligible to participate in federal health benefits-benefits thousands of companies already offer. Congressional sponsors realize the importance of the federal government keeping pace with businesses. HRC has been working with Senate sponsors Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., to move this bill forward.
(Lieberman-go figure) Same fight that we’re fighting locally, but wouldn’t it be nice if Monroe County was ahead of the Federal Government on this issue?
“This country was founded upon the democratic principles of fairness and equality,” said HRC Legislative Director Allison Herwitt. “Federal law must provide equal pay for equal work - our families deserve no less.”
Neither do our families, Maggie. In the words of Stlo7-”Grow a set.”
For a point of information, Anne and I have been speaking at the county for about a year and a half trying to get the legislature to propose a resolution to provide domestic partner benefits. We, among others, have met with President Zyra, Majority Leader Bill Smith and Legislator Dobson and all agreed that it was a good idea, yet nothing has come of it. Most employees are union and since dp benefits only affect a minority it is the first thing to be thrown off the table in negotiations - we want that to stop. We feel it is a matter of equity and fairness in the workplace and NOT something up for negotiation.
Monroe County serves a diverse community and should model inclusion by simply offering domestic partner benefits. Very few people take advantage of dp benefits because of the enormous tax consequences that come with health insurance, however, if you are in a relationship for 20 years and your partner dies, is it really fair that you have to ask your boss for vacation time to arrange and go to his or her funeral? Married couples automatically get bereavement leave. This is simply cruel to gay and lesbian employees and those who choose not to marry.
Thanks for posting the YouTube presentations, I had no idea it existed, I am the first speaker, and Anne is the second (and better) speaker.
Bess Watts
President,
Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter of Pride At Work
Bess,
I’m glad you found this and am honored that you responded. I have felt very strongly about this issue ever since I watched you and Ann speak. Fair is fair-the current policy (or lack there of) is not.
Thanks, ladkiddo for bringing this up and tying it all back together. I like seeing how we’ve covered things in the past and then bringing folks up to speed.
Equal rights is a progressive value.
[...] partner marriages from other locations that legally recognize same partner marriages. Ladkiddo recently reminded us of the importance of this. We uncovered (via this post by stlo7) that unlike other local governments Monroe County does not [...]
[...] discussed this issue many times in the last few weeks-here, here, and here for a start. Now it’s time to understand what’s really going [...]