Same discrimination, different year

Last year, Washington state did a really great thing. The population came together to legalize same-sex marriage. While this is truly wonderful, it comes at a time when the majority of the country will not recognize a same-sex couple’s union as marriage, opting instead for “civil union,” a term riddled with preconceived notions and societal tropes.

After same-sex marriage was legalized in Washington, couples from surrounding states made the trek to the Evergreen State to have their union legally recognized. There is a slight problem, though: Other states won’t recognize those unions. This means same-sex couples won’t have the same rights as straight couples.

To boil it down, it’s now 2013. Whether you support same-sex marriage or you don’t, it’s ridiculous that two people willing to partake in a legally recognized union aren’t granted the same rights as other couples.

And the issue goes deeper. As we get closer and closer to new legislation coming into effect, other parts of the same-sex marriage debate need to be thought about. The Oregonian recently ran an article that detailed how immigration and same-sex marriage go together in this new season of legislation.

The article covered the marriage between Carmen Gutierrez and Jennifer Albright. Currently, Gutierrez is an undocumented citizen. Originally from El Salvador, she was a teacher before moving to the U.S. to escape prejudice and political unrest. Gutierrez could be deported at any time, even though she’s legally married to Albright.

This couple’s same-sex marriage means a lot to them—personally and as a political statement—but in terms of legal action, it doesn’t do a whole lot. As a gay couple, Gutierrez and Albright don’t qualify for the same citizenship processes as straight couples. The article stated that if Gutierrez were a man, “Albright could sponsor her for a green card. Because they are both women, their marriage isn’t recognized by the federal government.”

That, however, might be changing. At the hands of President Barack Obama, forthcoming legislation could be exactly what Albright and Gutierrez need. Right now there’s a congressional push to unite both same-sex marriage and immigration under the Uniting American Families Act. This bill would grant same-sex couples the same rights as straight couples regarding immigration.

As you might imagine, this legislation has ignited many disputes in the political sphere. The right doesn’t want this passed; for the most part, conservatives view marriage as being only between a man and a woman. Much of the movement on this bill depends on what will happen this coming June with the Defense of Marriage Act, a bill mandating that marriage is valid only between a man and a woman.

Taxes are another thing to take into consideration. While states that have legalized same-sex marriage recognize the union, the federal government doesn’t. Same-sex couples still pay taxes on insurance benefits that straight couples normally wouldn’t. Because of the Defense of Marriage Act, insurance for same-sex couples isn’t treated as a benefit for spouses but as a taxable commodity. This is infuriating, because things like health insurance should cost the same for everyone, gay, straight or whatever.

Even tax filing requires same-sex couples to jump more hurdles than straight couples do. Same-sex couples have to prepare two sets of federal returns—one for actual filing purposes and another prepared as if they were married.

The issue does go deeper than that, of course, but the injustice that same-sex couples face is ridiculous. When same-sex couples feel like they might need to avoid marriage in order to avoid being taxed for things like health insurance, you know there’s something very wrong with the world we live in.

The issue is complicated and convoluted in many ways, but it doesn’t need to be. Whether we individually support the idea of marriage or not, some couples want to get married. Legislation and benefits need to be there for those who want to take advantage of them. We live in America, for heaven’s sake, and it’s 2013. Let’s make this right.