Yesterday, there was a rally in Los Angeles in support of full social security benefits for same-sex couples. The L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center joined with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the AIDS Community Action Foundationto to organize the event, which culminated in a rally in front of the Social Security office in L.A. Karen Ocamb has a photostream from the event.
Here's the report from the Los Angeles Times:
At the rally, Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Lakewood), who is a member of the House Subcommittee on Social Security, announced that she would sponsor legislation to provide equal Social Security benefits for same-sex couples.Yes, the Social Security Administration should recognize same-sex relationships. But, DOMA prevents that. So, this is a good step and raises awareness of how unfair and unjust the current laws are. But to fix this, we need to repeal DOMA. The President promised he would.
"I don't think it's right that Americans should be treated differently by the country they love because of who they love," she said, triggering thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd.
"Right now, same-sex marriage couples pay equally into a system that they don't receive equal benefits from in return," Sanchez told the crowd. "Shame on this country for allowing that to happen."
As of now, people in same-sex relationships are denied Social Security survivor benefits from their deceased partners because the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages or domestic partnerships as valid relationships.
