Candidates, laws don't make sense
In the article on Sunday, Jan. 10, about the Republicans running for governor, Adam Andrzejewski stated that for gay couples "There are already ways for individuals to arrange their affairs in the manner they wish. Health benefits can and should be negotiated by the people engaging in the benefit contracts." I would like to clear up this misperception.
My wife and I were married last July in Massachusetts. Being lesbians, we did not have the option to marry here in Illinois. We are legally married as far as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is concerned, yet our marriage is not recognized by the federal government nor the state of Illinois. We are required to file our taxes as being "single." This is not equal to those who are non-gay and married.
I am fortunate that I am able to cover my wife under domestic partner benefits. What Mr. Andrzejewski and many others may not realize is that I am taxed at a higher rate than someone who's marriage is recognized by the state of Illinois. My medical benefit is pretax. My wife's benefit is post tax. Therefore, our medical benefit is not equal to those who are non-gay and married.
We have undergone the additional effort and expense of drawing up legal papers so that my wife may visit me in the emergency room and make medical decisions should I not be able to do so. The fact that we have to draw up those papers makes our relationship not equal to those who are non-gay and married.
We have wills, yet because we our marriage is not recognized, the survivor would have to pay the higher capital gains tax rather than inheritance tax. This is not equal to those who are non-gay and married.
In some cases, we qualify for family memberships, in other cases, we do not. This is not equal to those who are non-gay and married. The list goes on. In fact, according to the Government Accounting Office, we are denied more than 1,000 rights that non-gay married couples receive, yet we have undergone the same legal process that they have. In the state of Illinois, we are denied over 600 rights.
Our constitution guarantees the separation of church and state. In the article, the Republican candidates stated their religious beliefs for reasons they opposed abortion rights and inferred the same reasons for being opposed to gay marriage.
State and federal laws have been used to ensure equal rights, yet candidate Bill Brady said he'd support amending the Illinois Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. That law would introduce legal discrimination. I find this very disturbing given that our country was founded on protecting individual freedom for everyone, rather than protecting individual freedom for only those who are non-gay. In my opinion, the reason for the law would be to embed a religious belief into our legal system, and would thereby violate the separation of church and state.
Marriage is about love and commitment between two people who love each other. I love my wife. She loves me. All we are asking is to have the same legal rights here in the state of Illinois and at the federal level as non-gay couples. We are not asking for anyone to change their religious beliefs. Religious groups may continue to decide who they will and not marry, just as they do today. We simply want the same legal rights as non-gay married couples.
Dayle Roberts
Lake Zurich