Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovetv
Maybe they would choose to live in Florida because of the financial benefit of not having state income tax.....
....and because they LIKE it here with ocean AND beautiful Gulf beaches, constant sunshine, friendly temperatures, nice people, international mix of people, etc. etc. etc.
Do gay couples really choose which state to live in based on federal financial benefits, (such as drawing a spousal Social Security check even if unearned by working him/herself and drawing half of the spouse's benefit because they've are married)?
It seems to me that it is financial and political-party power gain that is being sought more than a legal marriage vow and commitment and promise-keeping. I've known gay couples all my life who have lived together for decades, and they have not acted down-trodden, stepped-on, kicked around, nor unable to be happy without a legal civil marriage license, even in the 1960's in the midwest which is overall fairly conservative.
The fact that these couples were accepted and people left them alone was because lots of us were friends/acquaintances with them and people would say "They're nice people and they're not hurting anybody, so as long as they don't make advances at me it's their business". I think political party power play is at the heart of a lot of this angst.
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Why did you get married? Why not just live with the person you love without going through all the marriage rigamarole? Would it be because you wanted to make a lasting commitment to another person and have it recognized by the law and/or church if you are a churchgoer? Is it because you wanted joint legal ownership of your house, your cars, your children, with no questions asked or hoops to jump through? Is it because filing a joint income tax return saves you $ over filing separately? Is it because you wanted decent health coverage at a reasonable cost for you both?
Just because you know gay couples who lived together and never complained does not mean that they never felt the exclusions, financially and emotionally, of not being considered a legal couple.
I say Bravo to this ruling, and I hope it is somehow brought to the forefront in such a fashion that every state will have to recognize same- sex marriages.