Former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress, was married to another man in Massachusetts at the time of his death, but the federal government won't pay death benefits to his spouse. His husband is not eligible for any portion of Studds' estimated $114,337 annual pension because the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — passed by a Republican Congress and signed by Democratic former President Clinton — bars the federal government from recognizing Studds' marriage.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
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