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LGBT Couples in Montana Sue the State by Emily Isaac July 22, 2010 |
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photo by wikimedia commons
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Montana State Welcome Sign |
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Seven gay and lesbian couples in Montana filed a lawsuit against their state on Thursday, claiming it has failed to provide legal protections to LGBT couples and their families.
A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and same-sex couple recognition was approved by voters in 2004. This law means that gay and lesbian couples can be prohibited from visiting their partners in the hospital and left out of conversations about medical care. State inheritance laws don't recognize same-sex couples and can leave surviving partners with nothing if their partners die without valid wills.
The couples contend that the discrimination violates the state constitution's protections to rights to privacy, dignity, and the pursuit of life's basic necessities, and it's guarantees of equal protection and due process, says the ACLU, which is representing the plaintiffs.
Kellie Gibson and her partner Denise Boettcher are one of the couples involved in the suit.
"Denise has stood with me through 56 brain surgeries and over 300 spinal taps, yet to Montana we're nothing more than strangers," Gibson said in a statement. "Knowing we have legal protections for our family sure would make it easier on both of us the next time I have a medical crisis."
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