What to do with Boy George

Former Culture Club front man Boy George has come forward and slammed same-sex ‘weddings’, saying that the traditions of marriage are outdated and have no place in modern or gay culture. [...]

“Gay unions, what is that all about?,” he said. “I haven’t been invited to any ceremonies and I wouldn’t go anyway. The idea that gay people have to mimic what obviously doesn’t work for straight people anymore, I think is a bit tragic. I’m looking forward to gay divorces.”

Boy George, who is currently facing drugs charges for cocaine possession in New York, went on to praise Brokeback Mountain for bravely focusing on intimacy between two gay men. He said contemporary society continues to view gay relationships as purely sexual and sordid, and was amazed the film dared to dig deeper. (source)

I’m not going to be unkind to Boy George. I’m going to rise above that. He is right about one thing though. Marriage has been trashed by straight society so much, it’s not even funny. You get married. It doesn’t work out. You get divorced. NEXT....

There is nothing about marriage that gay couples should want anything to do with... EXCEPT FOR... the 1500+ Federal benefits of marriage and the 855 state (Connecticut) benefits of marriage.

Social Security retirement and survivor benefits. A husband or wife is entitled to one-half of the spouse’s Social Security benefits and to additional benefits in the event of death.

Workplace health and pension benefits coverage. While some companies offer health coverage to domestic partners, this benefit is considered taxable income. When married spouses are covered, the benefit is tax-free.

Automatic inheritance rights. Die without a will, and a heterosexual spouse gets the stuff. In many states, the surviving spouse has a legal right to at least one-third to one-half of the estate.

Preferential estate tax treatment. The $1 million estate tax limitation doesn’t apply to married people: a heterosexual married person can leave an unlimited amount to a spouse without owing one penny of estate tax. In certain states, this benefit is multiplied by special capital-gains tax treatment for homes and other assets held by married couples as community property.

Lower insurance rates. Married people usually get a discount on auto insurance and may pay less for other types of insurance. Some enlightened companies - the Hartford was among the first – offer family discounts to gay and lesbian couples, but it is not yet an industry standard.

The other benefits given by marriage:
Insurance benefits through a spouses employer
Insurance discounts offered to married couples and related persons living in same household
Veterans/military benefits offered to spouses (education, medical care, housing loans)
Income tax deductions, credits and exemptions
Tax relief for natural disaster losses
Immigration of foreign partners
Witness and court testimony rights
Continuation of lease rights (renewal of lease)
Community property rights
Payment of wages for deceased partners and workers compensation benefits
Right to enter into pre-marital agreement
Consent to post-mortem examination
Right to make burial arrangements
Bereavement leave for partner, child, or partner’s close relative
Family leave to care for partner or child during illness
Right to make decisions in medical emergencies (“next of kin”)
Visitation rights for partner or child in hospital or other public institutions
Custodial rights for a seriously injured partner
Right to file a wrongful death suit
Tuition discounts/use of facilities
Company benefits/perks offered to spouses
Commercial discounts/incentives offered only to married couples or families
Joint child custody, adoption and foster care rights
Equitable divison of property, child custody, visitation rights and support in the case of divorce
The right to obtain domestic violence protection orders
401(k) and other retirement monies are not taxable to a spouse upon the death of their partner, and can be rolled over into an IRA to tax-defer it until retirement.

Think about it Boy George. When the time comes in your life that you need those protections, if it ever does, you may want to reconsider your position on marriage.