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Gay couples have complicated financial lives, and preparing tax returns is no exception. Since the federal government doesn’t honor the freedom to marry, gay couples who are living in states that do recognize their various legal unions must still file separate federal returns. That requires more record-keeping and planning than their heterosexual counterparts — and oftentimes, gay couples will have to pay more to an accountant to prepare their returns. But the consequences aren’t all negative. By remaining unmarried, some same-sex couples will avoid the so-called marriage penalty. This occurs when a couple’s combined income pushes them into a higher tax bracket than if they had remained single. Or, they may qualify for more tax deductions or credits that phase out as their income rises.
Read MoreBarbara Ann Radnofsky, the 2010 Democratic candidate for Attorney General of Texas, writes that two women should be able to divorce in Texas because the state’s family code says the “law of this State applies to persons married elsewhere who are domiciled in this state.” "The Texas AG, if he agrees that gay people are 'persons', must read Texas divorce law which applies to 'persons,' not 'marriages.' Then, our Texas laws governing custody, support and community property, for example, would apply."
Read MoreSteve and Cokie Roberts write about changed attitudes as a result of LGBT people speaking up and coming out of the closet: ``Twenty years ago, the military were strong advocates of `don't ask, don't tell,' when I was secretary of defense,'' Dick Cheney said last Sunday on ABC News, ``I think things have changed significantly since then. I think the society has moved on. I think it's partly a generational question.'' In criticizing Republicans who demonize homosexuals, our friend George Will recently joked that, to young people, being gay is ``about as interesting as being left-handed.'' That's a little too glib. But even macho college fraternities are now taking in openly gay students. To many kids, it's just not a big deal. They have grown up knowing gay people who have not tried to hide who they are. And that makes a huge difference. In an ABC poll, 63 percent said they had a friend or family member who is gay or lesbian, and they're much more likely to support equality than those who don't.
Read MoreJoe My God reports that fighting the freedom to marry tied for last place in terms of importance in a poll of CPAC attendees' priorities. "Between this poll result and the GOProud/Ryan Sorba dustup, CPAC certainly was fascinating this year."
Read MoreA committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives will hold a hearing Monday on three separate visions for extending greater rights to gay and lesbian couples. It marks the first time a legislative body in Minnesota has taken such an affirmative look; past discussion has sought only to constitutionally prohibit marriage equality. Five states currently extend marriage rights to gays and lesbians, and they’re better off for it. Many Minnesotans, for example, are making the short journey south to wed in Iowa. A UCLA study last year estimated that Iowa’s state budget is getting a $5.4 million annual bump from marriage equality-derived tax receipts. This number doesn’t include the indirect boost to local businesses across the state.
Read MoreCandidate for New York Attorney General, Eric Dinallo, writes about gay couples getting around New York's ban on the freedom to marry by being wed in states or countries that do honor marriage equality and then having those marriages recognized in New York under a 2008 ruling. "The differing treatment of couples who can leave the state to get married and those without the means to travel only serves to underline the irrationality of the current state of the law. Indeed, it may provide a new basis to challenge the unjust 2006 ruling in the courts [that denied the freedom to marry]."
Read MoreMexico's Supreme Court on Friday rejected three out of five challenges to Mexico City's freedom to marry law, El Universal reported. The court said the challenges brought by the governors of three states controlled by the conservative PAN Party were “clearly inappropriate.” The court has yet to review challenges by two additional states – Sonora and Jalisco – and another by the federal government of President Felipe Calderon.
Read MoreA federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman forces Massachusetts, the first state in the country to legalize the freedom to marry, to discriminate against same-sex couples, state Attorney General Martha Coakley argues in court papers. In court papers filed in US District Court on Thursday, Coakley asked a judge to deem the law unconstitutional without holding a trial on the lawsuit. The law forces Massachusetts “to engage in invidious discrimination against its own citizens in order to receive and retain federal funds in connection with two joint federal-state programs,’’ Coakley said in the court filing.
Read MoreThe great recession may be to blame for stirring up the culture wars: according to a study in the winter issue of the American Sociological Review, resistance to the freedom to marry deepens significantly during hard times. In California, where foreclosure rates are among the highest in the nation, it could help explain how Proposition 8 squeaked by in 2008—despite bills legalizing marriage equality in 2005 and 2007 (the governor -vetoed both).
Read MoreLouisiana must put both fathers' names on the birth certificate of a boy adopted by a same-sex couple, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. A three-judge panel unanimously upheld a district judge's ruling, ordering the state registrar to quickly issue a new certificate for the boy identified as "Infant J," and "J.C. A.-S." U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey found that the law was so clear that no trial was needed. Louisiana's law requires the state to list adoptive parents' names. Because New York law allows adoption by unmarried couples, Louisiana had to follow that law in writing the new certificate, he wrote.
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