
CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Eight married same-sex couples and three widowers will appear in federal court in Boston Thursday to challenge the Defense of Marriage Act. The plaintiffs are part of the lawsuit Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management, which names the Obama administration as a defendant.
WCVB TV in Boston reports that U.S. district court judge Joseph L. Tauro will hear the case. The plaintiffs, all married in Massachusetts, are being represented by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. The federal government is being represented by the U.S. attorney's office in Boston.
"The plaintiffs said that DOMA, passed in 1996, means they have been denied survivor benefits on a deceased spouse's pension; denied health insurance coverage for a spouse on a federal family plan; denied Social Security spousal, death, and widower benefits; and denied the ability to file federal income taxes jointly as married," reports WCVB TV.
"They argue that the federal law restricts federal benefits to those in heterosexual marriages and they said that is inherently unfair and that it's only the states that should be able to determine marriage and domestic relations laws.
"The federal government, represented by the U.S. attorney's office in Boston, has asked that the case be dismissed, saying, among other things, that there is no fundamental right to federal benefits based on marital status."
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
These 15 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Latest Stories
Top 15 safest U.S. cities for LGBTQ+ travel
April 17 2025 6:02 AM
Federal government to remove gender dysphoria from protected disabilities list
April 16 2025 7:29 PM
U.S. activists call U.K. anti-trans ruling 'a serious blow' to human rights
April 16 2025 4:38 PM
Maine Gov. Janet Mills hits back after Trump sues state for transgender sports policies
April 16 2025 11:09 AM
Can ‘Protect the Dolls’ move fast enough to save trans youths?
April 16 2025 7:00 AM
Marriage equality or same-sex marriage? Why the language matters
April 16 2025 6:00 AM