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jadedmusingsThe next time someone tells me that marriage is just a word and that civil unions/partnerships are just as good, I'm going to send them here.
And it only gets worse as you keep reading at the link.
Here are two men who loved one another and took steps they thought would ensure their rights would be protected in the event of accident or illness. They jumped through all the legal hoops they were told to jump through. However, due to their sexual orientation and their age, they were treated as nothing more than roommates and forced to live apart while one of them lay dying. More than that, they lost all their possessions, some of which I'm sure had far more sentimental value after spending twenty years together.
This is why the word marriage carries so much weight. This is why civil unions and/or domestic partnerships aren't good enough. That this happened in 2008 at a time when we're supposedly all more enlightened and tolerant also sheds an ugly light on how we treat other human beings, especially those who are not heterosexual and/or young.
Hat tip to various people on my f-list as this is making the rounds here and in the blogosphere. This link in particular is courtesy of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
brigidsblest.
Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place—wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.
One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold’s care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.
Ignoring Clay’s significant role in Harold’s life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold’s “roommate.” The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold’s bank accounts to pay for his care. [Emphasis Mine]
And it only gets worse as you keep reading at the link.
Here are two men who loved one another and took steps they thought would ensure their rights would be protected in the event of accident or illness. They jumped through all the legal hoops they were told to jump through. However, due to their sexual orientation and their age, they were treated as nothing more than roommates and forced to live apart while one of them lay dying. More than that, they lost all their possessions, some of which I'm sure had far more sentimental value after spending twenty years together.
This is why the word marriage carries so much weight. This is why civil unions and/or domestic partnerships aren't good enough. That this happened in 2008 at a time when we're supposedly all more enlightened and tolerant also sheds an ugly light on how we treat other human beings, especially those who are not heterosexual and/or young.
Hat tip to various people on my f-list as this is making the rounds here and in the blogosphere. This link in particular is courtesy of
brigidsblest.
