Benefits for husband and wife, wife and wife, husband and husband and everyone in between
Behind the hashtags flooding social media in response to the waves of change following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding same-sex marriage are the real lives impacted by the sway of the vote.
After 19 years of a legally uniform definition of marriage under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, 1996), which only recognized the legal union between one man and one woman and denied same-sex couples the protections and responsibilities of marriage, the institution built in Section 3 of DOMA was knocked down by the Supreme Court June 26.
The repeal of Section 3 of DOMA means that now same-sex couples are entitled to numerous protections and benefits that heterosexual marriages already have.
For instance, state agency, higher education and retired employees at the UHCL campus eligible for the Texas Employees Group Benefits Program (GBP) are now “able to enroll their same-sex spouses and dependent children of those spouses in the same coverage and services, and at the same cost, as opposite-sex spouses,” said UHCL Benefits Coordinator Andrea Crucian.
Medical and dental insurance are among the benefits that were previously denied to same-sex couples and are now available for those who qualify. Active GBP participants are offered benefits ranging from health and prescription drug insurance to the TexFlex Daycare account, which allows you to use tax-free money to pay for your child’s (under the age of 13) day care or after-school care or for day care for a qualifying adult family member.
State recognition of marriage results in newfound benefits for same-sex couples from Social Security, meaning that the Social Security Administration now helps with expenses related to retirement or death of a spouse. In the event of a death the spouse has legal rights to inheritance and same-sex couples now qualify for these inheritance rights.
This marriage equality movement also affects the management of money for couples in same-sex marriages. These couples will now be able to file joint taxes instead of as individuals, which saves money on accountants but might not be a benefit for some because it could possibly place them in a higher tax bracket.
Now that same-sex partners are acknowledged as family members in the eyes of the law, during critical times couples in same-sex marriages now have the right to visit their spouse in the hospital and make medical decisions on his or her behalf.
GLAAD, the U.S. LGBT media advocacy organization, states on its website that the benefits granted to same-sex marriages “strengthens protection for families” and “stronger families lead to stronger communities.”
Being suddenly recognized in the eyes of the law as a family unit can leave a lasting psychological impression.
“Any denial of rights based on an aspect of one’s identity can cause distress, anger, frustration, depression, and internalized prejudice,” said Kim Case, professor of psychology and women’s studies and founder of the Houston chapter of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN). “However, such marginalized communities, including LGBT, also manage to maintain hope, vision, psychological and emotional resilience, and turn all of the negatives into mobilization for positive social change.”
On the UHCL campus, the UNITY Club has supported the movement toward marriage equality and “equality amongst all people,” said UNITY Club President Leah Won. “It’s really great to be getting to see history take such a big step in the right direction.”
