The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation has released resources that answer questions many same-sex couples are asking in advance of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could make nationwide marriage equality a reality.
- Will marriage equality change my medical decision-making rights? How about my health insurance options?
- Will a positive decision clear the path for same-sex couples to adopt? What kind of questions will adoption agencies ask about our marriage?
- Will companies continue to offer domestic partner benefits? What if I live in a state that has marriage equality, but no LGBT non-discrimination protections?
“As we await the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, countless same-sex couples are hopefully asking ‘what if?’” said Jay Brown, director of Research and Public Education at the HRC Foundation. “Experts at HRC have created guides that answer those questions, and more, in the realm of healthcare, adoption and domestic partner benefits, and can be used by same-sex couples wanting to know what to expect, to ask the right questions and find accurate resources.”
HRC Foundation’s Health and Aging Program answers the question, “What Will Marriage Equality Mean for My Healthcare?” Their All-Children-All Families Project and legal team answer the question, “What Will Marriage Equality Mean for My Adoption Rights? And their Workplace Equality Program advises companies with questions about Domestic Partner Benefits.
In the absence of full, explicit non-discrimination protections nationwide, a positive U.S. Supreme Court decision on marriage equality would not erase the uncertainty of how same-sex couples who decide to marry will be treated in many venues, and across state lines. That’s why HRC will fight for a federal LGBT non-discrimination bill that will address discrimination in credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service, and public accommodations. For more on that effort, click here.
