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Wow, didn't expect this so soon... Hooray for Utah!
From the text of the Federal ruling from the U.S. District Court:
Plaintiffs are ordinary citizens—business owners, teachers, and doctors—who wish to marry the persons they love. As discussed below, the State of Utah has not demonstrated a rational, much less a compelling, reason why the Plaintiffs should be denied their right to marry.
and
Although the State did not directly present an argument based on religious freedom, the court notes that its decision does not mandate any change for religious institutions, which may continue to express their own moral viewpoints and define their own traditions about marriage. If anything, the recognition of same-sex marriage expands religious freedom because some churches that have congregations in Utah desire to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies but are currently unable to do so.
and
The court does not find the State's argument compelling because, however persuasive the ability to procreate might be in the context of a particular religious perspective, it is not a defining characteristic of conjugal relationships from a legal and constitutional point of view. The State's position demeans the dignity not just of same-sex couples, but of the many opposite-sex couples who are unable to reproduce or who choose not to have children. Under the State's reasoning, a post-menopausal woman or infertile man does not have a fundamental right to marry because she or he does not have the capacity to procreate. This proposition is irreconcilable with the right to liberty that the Constitution guarantees to all citizens.
That's a heck of a Christmas present. 8D
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Wow, didn't expect this so soon... Hooray for Utah!
From the text of the Federal ruling from the U.S. District Court:
Plaintiffs are ordinary citizens—business owners, teachers, and doctors—who wish to marry the persons they love. As discussed below, the State of Utah has not demonstrated a rational, much less a compelling, reason why the Plaintiffs should be denied their right to marry.and
Although the State did not directly present an argument based on religious freedom, the court notes that its decision does not mandate any change for religious institutions, which may continue to express their own moral viewpoints and define their own traditions about marriage. If anything, the recognition of same-sex marriage expands religious freedom because some churches that have congregations in Utah desire to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies but are currently unable to do so.and
The court does not find the State's argument compelling because, however persuasive the ability to procreate might be in the context of a particular religious perspective, it is not a defining characteristic of conjugal relationships from a legal and constitutional point of view. The State's position demeans the dignity not just of same-sex couples, but of the many opposite-sex couples who are unable to reproduce or who choose not to have children. Under the State's reasoning, a post-menopausal woman or infertile man does not have a fundamental right to marry because she or he does not have the capacity to procreate. This proposition is irreconcilable with the right to liberty that the Constitution guarantees to all citizens.That's a heck of a Christmas present. 8D
And also a Win for the District Court being a Boss :3
Damn. That judge is a badass. I love it. :-)
So to recap this week:
-Gay marriage legal in New Mexico
- " Utah
-Obama sends a big middle finger to Putin, along with a bevy of gay athletes to serve as America's Olympic delegates.
-Some buffoon gets booted from some show for saying something buffoonish.'Twas a good week.
Unless you're from India. :(
Utah??? That's awesome
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Mhhhyy-Chr-crunch-crunch-mass!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! HOHOHO!!!
Merry Christmas everyone!
I thought you might appreciate this... My Christmas Day open house wound down an hour ago. There was one point where my wife, one of our daughter's friends, and I were the only straight people in the house.
I hope you all had a wonderful day too!
I haven't been so that overfeed in ages.
Happy Xmas, everyone!
Contributor
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My sister is having trouble signing up for ObamaCare (she's trans and lives in Virginia; they seem to not want her to be able to use her name, instead forcing her to use the name and gender on her Birth Cert).
Does anyone know a way to deal with this? VA seems especially hostile in the way they are handling things. I'll forward any recommendations to her.
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I think she has to use her legal name. This is one of those tricky areas for transgender. I can see a medical rrationale for needing one gender over another. There are procedures and medications that are dependent on your biological sex. I work in a pharmacy so I have seen some prescriptions that would be questionable if we didn't know the patient is transgender. I don't know the best way for insurance companies to address that.
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Can I post something random? I just started a new retail job last month, and it's got me so silly happy that for once, we have a token straight guy on the team, as opposed to me feeling like the token queer guy :D
There's like, 6 of us on staff and it's fantastic :) For the first time EVER, I don't have to try and hide my queerness in the workplace :)))
Can I post something random? I just started a new retail job last month, and it's got me so silly happy that for once, we have a token straight guy on the team, as opposed to me feeling like the token queer guy :D
There's like, 6 of us on staff and it's fantastic :) For the first time EVER, I don't have to try and hide my queerness in the workplace :)))
Fantastic or fabulous? ;)
Good for having a good job and great co-workers.
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Can I post something random? I just started a new retail job last month, and it's got me so silly happy that for once, we have a token straight guy on the team, as opposed to me feeling like the token queer guy :D
There's like, 6 of us on staff and it's fantastic :) For the first time EVER, I don't have to try and hide my queerness in the workplace :)))
Happy for you!
Oh, and this is a community thread feel free to post just about anything that isn't breaking the boards guidelines ;-)| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Can I post something random? I just started a new retail job last month, and it's got me so silly happy that for once, we have a token straight guy on the team, as opposed to me feeling like the token queer guy :D
There's like, 6 of us on staff and it's fantastic :) For the first time EVER, I don't have to try and hide my queerness in the workplace :)))
Fantastic or fabulous? ;)
Good for having a good job and great co-workers.
Definitely fantastic...the Ninth Doctor is my Doctor, after all :)
Definitely fantastic...the Ninth Doctor is my Doctor, after all :)Can I post something random? I just started a new retail job last month, and it's got me so silly happy that for once, we have a token straight guy on the team, as opposed to me feeling like the token queer guy :D
There's like, 6 of us on staff and it's fantastic :) For the first time EVER, I don't have to try and hide my queerness in the workplace :)))
Fantastic or fabulous? ;)
Good for having a good job and great co-workers.
You like the one doctor I like?!?!?!?!?!
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He was my favorite, too. I liked 10, but 9 has my heart.
A wonderful find on Facebook.Another great find.
Wonder if it's the same lady...
He was my favorite, too. I liked 10, but 9 has my heart.
I feel so less alone now...
I think she has to use her legal name. This is one of those tricky areas for transgender. I can see a medical rrationale for needing one gender over another. There are procedures and medications that are dependent on your biological sex. I work in a pharmacy so I have seen some prescriptions that would be questionable if we didn't know the patient is transgender. I don't know the best way for insurance companies to address that.
That can backfire, though. I'm still listed as a biological male with my insurer, so my insurance will cover my Spiro (T-blocker), but not my Estradiol, despite the Estradiol being listed in their formulary.
Once I start getting legal gender markers changed, I'm wondering if the reverse will occur.
(Fortunately, for the time being, the Estradiol's not expensive.)
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My sister is having trouble signing up for ObamaCare (she's trans and lives in Virginia; they seem to not want her to be able to use her name, instead forcing her to use the name and gender on her Birth Cert).
Does anyone know a way to deal with this? VA seems especially hostile in the way they are handling things. I'll forward any recommendations to her.
Jeff,
The HRC's blog entry on the ACA and transgender people says they use the gender marker listed in your Social Security Administration record:
To avoid problems when being evaluated for a subsidy, it is important that transgender applicants carefully answer the first question on the healthcare.gov website above, which can be a troublesome question for many: “What is your gender: M or F?” On this question, trans applicants should select the gender marker that is listed in their Social Security Administration record. This is only used to match an applicant’s information against tax records for subsidy eligibility: no physician will see the gender marker indicated on that application. In addition, the ACA’s new rules prohibit insurance companies from discriminating based on this information, such as by denying services that are generally covered by your plan but are typically associated with a different gender than the one listed for you.
Has your sister changed her Social Security gender marker? They changed the laws this past spring so that you no longer need to get your gender changed on your birth certificate first (which as you probably know, often means surgery).
There's information about this on the SSA's site available here.
Edit: Missed the part about the name as well. But I'd guess the same info should more or less apply. Has she done a legal name change yet? They can take a little while, and can be a bit expensive. In Wisconsin, where I'm at, it takes about a month, and ends up costing around $350 when all is said and done, from what I understand - I haven't done it yet myself.
Basic steps (in WI) are:
1. Legal name change (get a court date, get your petition notarized, put an ad in the paper for three weeks, then go to court and ask for the name change)
2. Get a doctor's letter certifying you're transgender (surgery isn't required by the WI DMV. Not sure how it will be in VA.)
3. Get the name and gender marker changed on driver's license
4. Using the driver's license as an official ID, get the name and gender marker changed with Social Security
At least that's my understanding.
Edit again: Found these two sites on name change in Virginia.
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I think she has to use her legal name. This is one of those tricky areas for transgender. I can see a medical rrationale for needing one gender over another. There are procedures and medications that are dependent on your biological sex. I work in a pharmacy so I have seen some prescriptions that would be questionable if we didn't know the patient is transgender. I don't know the best way for insurance companies to address that.That can backfire, though. I'm still listed as a biological male with my insurer, so my insurance will cover my Spiro (T-blocker), but not my Estradiol, despite the Estradiol being listed in their formulary.
Once I start getting legal gender markers changed, I'm wondering if the reverse will occur.
(Fortunately, for the time being, the Estradiol's not expensive.)
I'm a pharmacy technician and it's something that we have to deal with on a few occasions. So far we haven't have any problems with medications being covered. We've run into problems with pharmacists who are just filling in for the day not knowing that the person is transgender and wanting to either deny the medication or call the MD for verification (forged prescriptions can happen for anything, not just controlled medications). We put a note in the patient's file so that everyone who needs to know knows. Now that I think about it, we did have a problem with a doctor using the patient's preferred name but we and the insurance didn't know that she had legally changed her name. That was a challenge to figure out at first (the prescription was electronically sent so we didn't know who she was at first).
We need to improve our systems to be able to handle this kind of thing.
He was my favorite, too. I liked 10, but 9 has my heart.
For the record, 8 was my first, but let's pretend that the movie never happened...
The radio dramas from Big Finish and the minisode, however...let's just go ahead and say that Paul McGann is right behind 9 in my TARDIS book...
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Assistant Software Developer
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My sister is having trouble signing up for ObamaCare (she's trans and lives in Virginia; they seem to not want her to be able to use her name, instead forcing her to use the name and gender on her Birth Cert).
Does anyone know a way to deal with this? VA seems especially hostile in the way they are handling things. I'll forward any recommendations to her.
She needs to use her legal name, but that's not terribly difficult to change, though it does often require a trip to court. You need a court order to change the name on your social security card. The two likely have to match. TS Roadmap on Legal Name Change. Her gender identifier is a lot harder to change and depends on where she was born and where she lives currently. I've been transitioned for over 10 years and my gender marker STILL isn't changed.
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She needs to use her legal name, but that's not terribly difficult to change, though it does often require a trip to court. You need a court order to change the name on your social security card. The two likely have to match. TS Roadmap on Legal Name Change. Her gender identifier is a lot harder to change and depends on where she was born and where she lives currently. I've been transitioned for over 10 years and my gender marker STILL isn't changed.My sister is having trouble signing up for ObamaCare (she's trans and lives in Virginia; they seem to not want her to be able to use her name, instead forcing her to use the name and gender on her Birth Cert).
Does anyone know a way to deal with this? VA seems especially hostile in the way they are handling things. I'll forward any recommendations to her.
Lissa, they changed the laws for gender markers for Social Security last year. Have you checked that out recently? Medical certification from the doctor who's overseen your transition seems to be enough now.
Obviously, that won't take care of everything, but it could be useful.
Edit to add: Here's what the SSA provides as a sample physician letter to certify gender change.
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Assistant Software Developer
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She needs to use her legal name, but that's not terribly difficult to change, though it does often require a trip to court. You need a court order to change the name on your social security card. The two likely have to match. TS Roadmap on Legal Name Change. Her gender identifier is a lot harder to change and depends on where she was born and where she lives currently. I've been transitioned for over 10 years and my gender marker STILL isn't changed.My sister is having trouble signing up for ObamaCare (she's trans and lives in Virginia; they seem to not want her to be able to use her name, instead forcing her to use the name and gender on her Birth Cert).
Does anyone know a way to deal with this? VA seems especially hostile in the way they are handling things. I'll forward any recommendations to her.
Lissa, they changed the laws for gender markers for Social Security last year. Have you checked that out recently? Medical certification from the doctor who's overseen your transition seems to be enough now.
Obviously, that won't take care of everything, but it could be useful.
Edit to add: Here's what the SSA provides as a sample physician letter to certify gender change.
Yeah. I just have to find time and money to deal with it. =) My current GP is helpful but not exceedingly knowledgeable. And my original therapist has disappeared into the ether about a year after we started so I've got a few issues to work out. I've long since gotten over worrying about it too much. Luckily, I have pretty good healthcare.
Yeah. I just have to find time and money to deal with it. =)
That seems to cover a good chunk of the transitioning process :) I'm having to wait a few more months until I can afford the name change.
I've long since gotten over worrying about it too much. Luckily, I have pretty good healthcare.
Good healthcare's important. (Which circles things back to Jeff's post.)
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Yeah. I just have to find time and money to deal with it. =)That seems to cover a good chunk of the transitioning process :) I'm having to wait a few more months until I can afford the name change.
I've long since gotten over worrying about it too much. Luckily, I have pretty good healthcare.Good healthcare's important. (Which circles things back to Jeff's post.)
I've got to get my second letter of referral for surgery, but that's my last step. Seven short months from now.
I've got to get my second letter of referral for surgery, but that's my last step. Seven short months from now.Yeah. I just have to find time and money to deal with it. =)That seems to cover a good chunk of the transitioning process :) I'm having to wait a few more months until I can afford the name change.
I've long since gotten over worrying about it too much. Luckily, I have pretty good healthcare.Good healthcare's important. (Which circles things back to Jeff's post.)
Awesome. Congrats. Hope the months go by quickly for you.
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Thanks! I'm nervous and excited. I also need to see what my new insurance covers. The HRC 100 says that my company's insurance covers the surgery, but I don't transition to their insurance until March. I have enough set aside so that I don't need to worry if it's not covered, but I'd much rather pay $7-8,000 than $24,000.
Good luck with battling the monstrosities of finances.
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I have enough set aside so that I don't need to worry if it's not covered, but I'd much rather pay $7-8,000 than $24,000.
I hear that.
I wish my insurance would cover surgery, but I'm lucky that they'll at least cover the basics of HRT. Could be worse.
Again, very happy for you, especially after the employer stuff you had to deal with earlier.
Good luck! Sounds like things are progressing in a good fashion at least.