|
|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|---|
|
|
|
Lambda Legal discusses court decisions granting same-sex couples fair access to Social Security benefits
by Kayleigh Padar
2022-05-27
|
|
This article shared 3311 times since Fri May 27, 2022
|
|
Lambda Legal—a national organization committed to actualizing the rights of LGBTQ+ people through impact litigation, public policy work and education—hosted an event at Sidetrack May 26 discussing its work securing Social Security benefits for same-sex couples.
In 2021, Lambda Legal won two lawsuits against the Social Security Administration (SSA) — Ely v. Saul and Thornton v. Saul. The organization argued on behalf of people whose same-sex partners died before they were able to legally marry, saying they should still be able to claim Social Security survivor's benefits, Lambda Legal Midwest Director Brian Richardson explained at the event.
SSA provides monthly payments to the elderly and those with disabilities, as well as to the spouses of workers who have passed away. Since same-sex couples weren't allowed to be legally married until 2015, many were barred from claiming social security benefits on behalf of their partners because they died before they could be married for the required nine months or at all.
As a result of these lawsuits, SSA now must grant survivor's benefits to people who can show they would have gotten married to their long-term partners if not for discriminatory laws.
David Freitag—an expert in financial services and wealth management who spoke at the event—explained that strategically filing for social security with a spouse or as a surviving member of a marriage can result in a substantial increase in benefits, demonstrating the importance of these victories.
WestPoint Financial was a sponsor and flew in Freitag from Boston to present for Lambda Legal on the topic.
For more information about these court rulings and how to claim spousal Social Security benefits (for those with similar experiences), visit www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/20210218_thornton_faq or https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/20210212_ely_faq.
|
|
|
|
This article shared 3311 times since Fri May 27, 2022
|
| ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
|---|
| 
|  | Supreme Court allows Idaho ban on gender-affirming care for minors
2024-04-18
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a request by Republican Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador to lift a lower court's temporary injunction preventing the state from enforcing its felony ban on gender-affirming care for minors, The ...
| 
| | Howard Brown reaches tentative agreement with union after 1.5 years of contentious negotiations
2024-04-18
Howard Brown Health has reached a tentative agreement with its union, after a year and a half of negotiations that included two workers strikes. The Illinois Nurses Association, which represents about 360 employees at Howard Brown ...
| 
| | 'United, Not Uniform': Lesbian Visibility Week starts April 22 nationwide
2024-04-17
--From a press release - San Francisco — Lesbian Visibility Week (#LVW24) kicks off on Monday, April 22 with a private event at the London Stock Exchange USA headquarters in New York City. This exclusive gathering marks the beginning of a ...
| 
| | Appeals court overturns W. Va. trans sports ban
2024-04-17
On April 16, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with teen trans runner Becky Pepper-Jackson and overturned a West Virginia law that banned transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's sports teams in ...
|
| | Fed appeals panel ruling helps trans athlete
2024-04-17
A three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday (April 16) that West Virginia's law barring transgender female students from participating on female student sports teams violates federal law. In a 2 to 1 decision, the panel ...
| 
| | News is Out, Word In Black, Comcast NBCUniversal welcomes 16 Journalism Fellows to cover Black, LGBTQ+ communities
2024-04-16
Philadelphia (April 15, 2024) — Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists ...
| 
| | A prom of their own: Chicago orgs host LGBTQ+ youth celebration
2024-04-15
On April 13, Center on Halsted hosted its queer prom, MasQUEERade, for folks enrolled in its youth services. Prom goers created their own masquerade masks thanks to craft stations at the door. The evening included a ...
| 
| | WORLD Ugandan law, Japan, Cass report, Tegan and Sara, Varadkar done
2024-04-12
Ugandan LGBTQ+-rights activists asked the international community to mount more pressure on Uganda's government to repeal an anti-gay law that the country's Constitutional Court refused to nullify, PBS reported. Activist ...
| 
| | NATIONAL Trans woman killed, Tenn. law, S. Carolina coach, Evan Low, Idaho schools
2024-04-12
Twenty-four-year-old Latina trans woman and makeup artist Meraxes Medina was fatally shot in Los Angeles, according to the website them, citing The Los Angeles Times. Authorities told the Times they found Medina's broken fingernail and a ...
| 
| | David E. Munar reflects on Howard Brown leadership and new Columbus, Ohio post
2024-04-11
On April 1, David E. Munar started his tenure as CEO of the Columbus, Ohio-based non-profit health system Equitas. The date marked the latest chapter for Munar, who previously helmed AIDS Foundation Chicago and, most recently, ...
|
| | LPAC, Arizona LGBTQ officials denounce Arizona Supreme Court ruling on abortion
2024-04-10
--From a press release - Washington, DC — Yesterday, in a decision that starkly undermines reproductive freedoms, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled to enforce a 160-year-old law that criminalizes abortion and penalizes healthcare providers who ...
| 
| | Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame seeks nominations for 2024 induction
2024-04-09
--From a press release - The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame has announced a call for nominations for the 2024 class of inductees into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. Those wishing to may nominate individuals, organizations, businesses, or "Friends of ...
| 
| | Tiny Home Summit 2.0 convenes experts to explore affordable, small-scale housing June 13
2024-04-09
--From a press release - CHICAGO—A gathering of more than 250 elected officials, developers, advocates, philanthropists, community members, and people with lived experience will take place June 13, 2024 to discuss and strategize around the ...
|
| | Black LGBTQIA leaders applaud U of South Carolina head coach Staley for standing up for trans athlete inclusion
2024-04-08
--From a press release - WASHINGTON — On Sunday, April 7, the University of South Carolina's women's basketball team won the NCAA National Championship. Ahead of the championship game, South Carolina's head coach Dawn Staley made comments in support of transgend ...
| 
| | NAIA bans trans athletes from women's sports
2024-04-08
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on April 8 that athletes will only be allowed to compete in women's sports if they were assigned female at birth, CBS Sports reported. The NAIA's Council of ...
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
 | NATIONAL Trans woman killed, Tenn. law, S. Carolina coach, Evan Low, Idaho schools
| | Through a queer lens: Photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya discusses Chicago exhibition
| | WORLD Ugandan law, Japan, Cass report, Tegan and Sara, Varadkar done
| | Q FORCE launches 2024 election efforts in Chicago
| | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo | |
|
|
|
|
