Federal Rights for LGBTQ Are Advancing
Attorney General Holder announced this week that more federal rights will be available to married same-sex couples (SSC) as a result of the Windsor decision. Watch Attorney General Holder’s inspiring speech.
These new rights will include:
- Services for LGBT survivors of abuse by their partner under the Violence Against Women Act
- Stronger civil rights protections for those who are the victims of hate crimes simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (Matthew Shepard & James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act)
- Same sex spouses of individuals charged in a civil or criminal will have the right to refuse to testify under the marital privilege
- Same sex couples are eligible to file jointly for bankruptcy
- Federal inmates in same sex marriages are entitled to visitation with their spouse, escorted trips to attend a spouse’s funeral, to receive correspondence from a spouse
- Death benefits and educational benefits to surviving spouses of public safety officers (police, firefighters) who are killed in the line of duty.
Attorney General Holder issued a written memorandum on February 17, 2014 detailing the new protections. Stay tuned to my blog for updates.
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