Long Term Care Insurance Delaware, Pennsylvania

On the 40th anniversary of gay rights movement, Pennsylvania has much to do
32 PLW 738; July 6, 2009 by K. Dorothy Phillips
Special to the Law Weekly

In 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York as compensation for the gay rights movement in the United States.

Until recently, the two states, Massachusetts and Connecticut recognize same-sex marriages. In recent months, four other states have approved same-sex marriage, particularly Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Progress in 40 years a raid on a bar gay in six states to approve same-sex marriage seems at first glance, dramatic and progressive. A careful analysis shows however that while some states have promoted the rights of same-sex couples, the federal government, was transferred to a snail's pace. There is still no policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. In fact, gays and lesbians who have "released" in the military and revealed their sexual orientation face military court proceedings. The "Do not ask, do not tell" policy is alive, despite Obama's campaign promises to the contrary.

At the federal level in 1966, legislation known as the Defense of Marriage Act was passed by Congress defining marriage as a legal union between a male and female. This law is still in place, and gays still can not have health insurance or survivor benefits to their partners if they are employed by the federal government. These federal rights have been actively sought by gay couples who believed that with the election of Obama, the progress would be rapid. LGBT Americans have been seriously disappointed. What the president has done is to allow domestic partners of federal employees with chronic conditions like Alzheimer's to be covered by insurance long term health. By presidential decree, in June, Obama states that federal government workers may take sick leave to care for a spouse or child who is not his or hers by birth. But Obama put on the brakes when it came to providing health care benefits for partners of federal employees.

How Pennsylvania came to issues of gay rights? Not good. Pennsylvania has long been against marriage for gays, against civil unions and against the benefits granted to homosexual couples, unlike its sister state, New Jersey. On January 15, 2007, I wrote an article for the Pennsylvania Law Weekly regarding New Jersey decision to allow civil unions between same-sex couples, whose law available to couples of the same state rights and benefits of heterosexual couples married. New Jersey egislature stopped granting the right to marry from same-sex couples, but couples completed award which came in a civil union the right to ownership, transfer of property during life and death and the right to distribute goods in case of death in the same way as married heterosexual couples. With this legislation, civil union couples are entitled to health insurance benefits to compensate for the retirement benefits to workers with family leave, public assistance benefits, including Medicaid, protection against violence domestic, and the right to adopt children. However, national legislation on civil unions does not extend to federal rights. For example, the rights of the state does not give homosexual couples the right to file a joint federal tax, the right to receive Medicare or other federal benefits. There is no social security benefits for the partner of a civil union or same-sex marriage.

  Step forward - and back

A recent review of the efforts of Pennsylvania against gays evidence of its citizens both advances and setbacks. For example, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act offers no protection for sexual orientation or gender identity. There is no protection for gay in.