Equality Forum Brings Awareness to 1138 Benefits Denied to Same-Sex Couples

Equality Forum, a national and international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, launched a Project 1138 Web site last week, (www.Project1138.com) along with Facebook (www.facebook.com/Project1138) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/Project1138) pages to create awareness about the 1138 benefits denied to GLBT couples.

There are 1138 federal rights, benefits, and privileges provided to married opposite sex couples that are denied to same-sex couples – even in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

These include tax and military benefits, employment rights, family protections and access to federal benefits and services.

“Our nation treats same-sex couples as second-class citizens,” stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director, Equality Forum. “As the Black civil rights movement demonstrated, separate is not equal.”

• Corporal Dennis Engelhard, a Missouri Highway Patrolman, lived with his male partner Kelly Gossip for nearly 15 years. In 2009, Engelhard was killed in a highway accident in the line of duty. His partner is not entitled to death benefits provided to the families of fallen law enforcement officers.

• Carmen Machado and her partner Anisia, a New Jersey couple, have been together for over 30 years. Anisia has no health insurance. Carmen can’t claim her as a spouse, and as a consequence, Anisia is not covered under Carmen’s health insurance.

• In New York, John Langan and Conrad Spicehandler were together for 15 years when Spicehandler was killed in a work-related car accident. Because they could not marry, Langan has not received any benefits entitled to a “surviving legal spouse.”

Visit Project1138.com to share your comments, personal stories, and why all Americans deserve equal rights.

Equality Forum is a national and international GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum coordinates GLBT History Month, produces documentary films, undertakes high-impact initiatives and presents the largest annual national and international GLBT civil rights summit.