Ten Ways the Law Harms the LGBT Community
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Partners are denied access to their deceased partner's home and property.
The law throws more than a few bones the way of married couples, and nowhere is this in greater evidence than in how property rights and taxes are treated. When one member of a legally married couple dies, the surviving partner is protected in ways designed to increase the odds that he or she will be able to hang on to the deceased partner’s estate.
LGBT couples lose out on these rights unless they sign a will and/or trust that leaves all their belongings to their surviving spouse. Even if they take these smart steps, they must pay inheritance and estate taxes that legally married couples don’t have to pay.
