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MO: Gay Trooper's Partner May Not Receive Benefits After His Death

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

When Highway Patrol Cpl. Dennis Engelhard was killed in a Christmas Day traffic accident near Eureka, the agency described him as single with no children. Gov. Jay Nixon called on Missourians to pray for Engelhard’s family, who “lost a beloved son and brother.” Neither statement tells the whole story.

Engelhard, hit by a car that lost control in the snow, was gay. He left behind a partner of nearly 15 years who was not mentioned in his obituary or official information released by the Highway Patrol, although members of the agency knew about his sexual orientation.

If Engelhard had been married, his spouse would be entitled to lifetime survivor’s benefits from the state pension system — more than $28,000 a year.

Full Story from STL Today
Click here for gay marriage resources in Missouri.
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Posted in death, denied, Gay Marriage, gay trooper, marriage equality, missouri, mo, partner, same sex marriage, survivor benefits | No Responses »

India: Gay Prince to Marry Partner in Nepal

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Manvendra Singh Gohil, the openly-gay Indian prince, is set to marry his partner in a ceremony in Nepal, raising hopes that the war-ravaged country will begin to rake in business from gay tourists.

Prince Gohil, who rose to international attention after appearing on Oprah and the BBC publicizing his search for a lover, plans to marry his Nepalese partner Pajwal Miskin in a Hindu ceremony in Kathmandu.

Nepal’s tourism industry ground to a halt after a brutal decade-long civil war that ended in 2006. In 2008, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to enact laws to guarantee the rights of gays and lesbians after bowing to pressure from the Blue Diamond Society, run by parliament member and gay-oriented travel mogul Sunil Babu Pant. The country’s new constitution is currently being drafted and is expected to define marriage as a union between two adult individuals, regardless of gender, and to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Full Story from Just Out
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in gay, Gay Marriage, nepal, partner, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, wedding | No Responses »

Obama Administration Refuses to Comply With Judicial Order on Benefits for Lesbian Couple

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management still thinks it can’t authorize health care coverage for the same-sex spouse of a federal court employee even though a judge has ordered the agency to do, a government lawyer said Friday. Elaine Kaplan, the office’s general counsel, said in a statement issued Friday that the Department of Justice has determined that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act supersedes the recent ruling by Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. DOMA, as the law is known, prohibits the government from recognizing same-sex unions.

“As the President has explained, the Administration believes that this law is discriminatory and needs to be repealed by Congress,” Kaplan said.

The dispute involves Karen Golinski, a staff lawyer at the 9th Circuit’s San Francisco headquarters. Earlier this year and again last month, Kozinski ruled that Golinski is entitled to enroll her wife in her employer-sponsored health plan because the court has a policy prohibiting discrimination against gay workers.

Full Story from The LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-gay-marriage-federal-employees,0,1977764.story

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in benefits, federal employee, gay, judge, lawsuit, lesbian, obama administration, partner, refused | No Responses »

Mad Men Actor Bryan Batt & Partner Planning Christmas Wedding

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Following the footsteps of some other Hollywood gay celebs, actor Bryan Batt is planning to marry his longtime same-sex partner, events planner Tom Cianfichi. A source is quoted as telling National Enquirer, the pair who has been together for more than eighteen years is planning a Christmas wedding.

“They’re leaning toward a Christmas wedding in Vermont,” reveals the source. “Bryan is at the top of his game professionally, and they’ve never been happier.”

Wedding arrangements reportedly have been worked on by Bryan and Tom. They “already consider themselves married, and are registered as domestic partners in New Orleans,” claims an insider. “Tom’s working on the wedding arrangements, and with their combined style and taste; it’s certain to be a big event. They intend to pull out all the stops.”

Full Story from Ace Showbiz: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00027612.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

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Posted in bryan batt, gay marriage christmas, mad men, madmen, partner, sal, vermont, vt | No Responses »

Court Case Tossed Out for Lesbian Denied Visit to Dying Partner in Florida Hospital

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

In an illustration of the hazards that travel across state lines poses to gay and lesbian families who have no federal recognition and no nation-wide protections, a Washington woman whose partner succumbed to a stroke while on vacation says that she, and the women’s children, were denied visitation privileges even as the stricken woman lay dying in a Florida hospital.

A suit that followed the incident was tossed out of federal court on Sept. 29.

As reported at EGDE last February, Janice Langbehn, her partner of 17 years Lisa Marie Pond, and their children had traveled to Florida from Washington and were about to embark on a cruise from Miami when Pond collapsed, either from a heart attack or because of an aneurysm (media accounts have cited both).

Full Story from Edge Boston: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=97026

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Florida.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with “subscribe blog” as the subject. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in denied access, dying, fl, florida, Gay Marriage, hospital, judge, lawsuit, lesbian, partner | No Responses »