Gay Marriage; 1,138 Rights Denied
Okay, so back in 2003-2005, I frequently went around point out to people that there are 1,138 federal rights and responsibilities afforded to heterosexual civil marriages, that were denied to gay couples, and not included in "civil unions" (because "civil unions" aren't federal, and are to marriage what pyrite is to gold). When I mentioned it to my Dad, he demanded to know, very dubiously, what these rights were. As though I could recite all 1,138 off the top pf my head.
Many years after the fact, I have found it - a report compiled by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 1997, then updated in 2003. Did you know the government puts all its public documents online? Yeah, I knew it too, but I never thought I'd actually find it. Basically, the purpose of the report was to enumerate all the federals laws to which martial status applied, so they could state that DOMA applied to it. The report is also completely illegible without a degree in law, but I you'll have that with anything the government puts together.
To sum up in brief, in 1997 (right after the Defense of Marriage Act was passed), there were 1,049 federal statutory provisions contingent upon marital status. In 2003, Congress asked them to update the report, and they found that 120 statutory provisions had been added, and 31 repealed. Add that up, and you get 1,138 ways the U.S. Government is screwing over committed gay people.
You may access the report, in its whole, here: http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-04-353R%20
Many years after the fact, I have found it - a report compiled by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 1997, then updated in 2003. Did you know the government puts all its public documents online? Yeah, I knew it too, but I never thought I'd actually find it. Basically, the purpose of the report was to enumerate all the federals laws to which martial status applied, so they could state that DOMA applied to it. The report is also completely illegible without a degree in law, but I you'll have that with anything the government puts together.
To sum up in brief, in 1997 (right after the Defense of Marriage Act was passed), there were 1,049 federal statutory provisions contingent upon marital status. In 2003, Congress asked them to update the report, and they found that 120 statutory provisions had been added, and 31 repealed. Add that up, and you get 1,138 ways the U.S. Government is screwing over committed gay people.
You may access the report, in its whole, here: http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-04-353R%20