Former Congressman Gerry E. Studds’ Husband Denied Death Benefits
Dean Hara, who married former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds in Massachusetts after same-sex marriage was legalized in the state, has been denied death benefits by the government. The Washington Post reports that Hara “will not be eligible to receive any portion of Studds’s estimated $114,337 annual pension because the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from recognizing Studds’s marriage.” I think this comment from Sue pretty much covers it: “Nice to see they treat their own just as bad.”
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I am from Mass. and I was astonished when I read this. I don’t care if there is a federal law not recognizing the marriage. The only fair thing is to provide the pension pay-outs.
So is DOMA about “defending” an institution, or about defending finance – maybe the latter is just a tasty bonus for the Government.
As a friend of mine suggests – if an incumbent is standing, vote against them. Your Government and Congress have failed you, so why not show them the door?