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Gay groups and Arkansas newspaper intensify debate over gay obituaries



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Protests are moving forward now that the Batesville Daily Guard in Arkansas has written an editorial saying they "will review" their process of including a gay man's partner in his obituary.

A battle between gay rights groups and an Arkansas newspaper over an obituary is picking up steam after a near-truce fell apart.

After saying they would review their policy banning the inclusion of life partners in free obits, the Batesville Daily Guard's newspaper executives published an editorial defending the policy.

Now the protests are going forward, and the central figure in the controversy, the gay life partner of a man who died from spinal meningitis, is threatening legal action from a hospital bed.
The circumstances of John Christopher Millican's death truly add insult to injury considering Millican's parent's had little contact with him.
John Christopher Millican died earlier this month of spinal meningitis. His partner, Terrance James, was the only person with him when he died and made the decision to end life support.
From Queerty:
Wrought with grief, Mr. James filled out the paperwork for his late partner’s obituary for the local publication, the Batesville Guard. When the obituary ran, however, it listed the names of Millican’s deceased parents, his siblings, with whom he had little contact, but no mention of Terrance James or even that there was a surviving partner.
Pat Jones, the general manager of the Batesville Daily Guard, told Queerty: “It’s not a gay thing. We don’t list unmarried couples, in-laws, or pets in the free obituaries.”
Oh, certainly, it's not "a gay thing."

Maybe President Obama should consider a story like this one on his way towards evolving on his decision to consider the right for us to marry?

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