NYTimes: Social Security Opens to Survivors of Same-Sex Couples Who Could Not Marry

What started as a class-action lawsuit from a woman who was with her partner for 27 years, although not married as she was not legally allowed to do so has turned into another step forward in equality for same-sex couples. Gay men and lesbians are now able to receive survivor’s benefits, usually only awarded legal widows/widowers, but only if they can prove they would have been married for the duration of their relationship had they been allowed. This could also mean an improvement in protection of an already vulnerable population, which gay and lesbian adults make up, having much higher poverty rates than American adults as a whole. To read the full article, click here. To read more about policy, click here.