Partner of Missouri Trooper Denied Benefits

Just to clarify, the pension plan that he would have been under is a non-contributory plan. Additionally, upon his death, there would have been at minimum life insurance in the amount of three times his annual salary. He could have designated anybody he wanted as the beneficiary of this life insurance policy. I would think if you were a devoted gay couple, you'd be sure to discuss and make plans as to how to take care of things should something happen to one of you. If he designated his partner as beneficiary, his partner would receive the life insurance. If he designated someone other than his partner, then we should assume that is the way he wanted it and nothing more needs to be said.

Such a backwards country - I don't understand it.

Generally speaking, company-based defined benefit pension plans do not allow you to pass benefits to the person of your choice. Typically the only people who can benefit from a pension are the employee and his/her spouse. Other retirement benefits might work differently (for example, 401k plans can have a designated beneficiary other than the spouse); but not pension plans. So don't be too hard on this couple for "lack of planning". This poor guy is stuck - his partner paid into the pension plan for a long time, but will get NOTHING from it. This is one more reason (like we needed more) that we must have the equal right to marry.

Okay, he's got to fight for the spouse support. But let me ask - in the many years of their relationship did they not get any life insurance in place on each of them naming the other as beneficiary? (At least 10x the annual salary of each) Was there no attempt to make sure money was there to pay the mortgage if something happened to either one? Damn it, we all know the laws are biased against us. We've all heard the horror stories. Maybe I'm more incensed by this than most since I now work and try to protect families (including ours) from being left like this. But come on, people, get something into place. Unfortunately, we DO die and we DO want to leave something to those we love. As for this - I'm sick to death of hearing we can't get because we're not legal spouses and yet we're denied the ability to become such. I never used to be a massive proponent for gay marriage, but stuff like this over the years has turned me into one.

I hope every such couple in Missouri take their stories to the public. Because they are happening in other states too and they need to be known.

I feel deeply for the plight of people like the survivor of the state trooper. The injustice of this discrimination is overwhelming, and most of the people in a state like Missouri are utterly indifferent to it. How sad. The cruelty of the bigots knows no bounds.

I don't understand this. When someone is filling out benefits form at a job can't you designate whomever you please to get your benefits if you die? Is there something on these forms to say only spouses are eligible for these benefits? Anid it he is not getting the benefits then who is? If this was a straight couple could the fiaance or girlfriend get it if her name was on the form? There are too many missing pieces here that someone needs to be filled in.

I first want to thank the Advocate for posting this. I know people who have gone through this type of suffering are normally ignored by the GLBTQ news organizations, which is insulting. Second, I hope Kelly Glossip contact his congress personal about this subject matter. This is why it is so important for GLBTQ people to speak to their congressmen and women about these types of issues. The more people that call their congressman like Ike Skelton, the more these congressmen know there are GLBTQ people out there suffering from their lack of action on Civil rights for GLBTQ issues. Also it’s important to call your congressmen that are supportive of us, so they know you are still supportive of them. If you expect that you are going to have your rights handed to you on a silver platter, think again. I know it won’t matter to the young ones, or the gay elephants in our community, but when you’re holding your dying partners hand of 35 years, your prospective sure changes.

Sue the &%*& out of the state.

He's RIGHT. He SHOULD have the same rights as a heterosexual spouse! Sadly, here in Missouri, that isn't the case. We don't even have civil unions, much less same-sex marriage. I think it unlikely he will get any such benefits. Missouri, like most southern states, as well as many others, will not recognize same-sex marriage unless/until SCOTUS so decrees as they did with racial integration in Brown-v-Board of Ed. And we all know how likely THAT is, now don't we?