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New York's Governor Pataki
OK's Equal Survivor Benefits

Same-Sex Partners of Those Killed Sept. 11 are Covered

Rev. Lou Sheldon, Religious Fanatic, is Properly Rebuked

Compiled by GayToday

Albany, New York--Governor Pataki has issued an Executive Order to extend to surviving partners of gay victims of the World Trade Center attacks equal benefits with spouses from the state's Crime Victims Board.

The order marks the first official step taken by any level of government in the nation to address the inequities faced by gay and lesbian survivors of the terrorist attacks in obtaining benefits.

Gov. George Pataki: Domestic partners will receive death benefits

Under the order, a gay partner will qualify for benefits to help offset the loss of household income resulting from the death of his/her partner by demonstrating that the he or she and the deceased were "mutually interdependent" (e.g., common householding or shared budgeting). A survivor will be entitled to up to $30,000 from this program.

"This is an incredibly just and humane act that recognizes that all families - gay and straight - deserve equal support in the aftermath of this calamity," said Matt Foreman, the Pride Agenda's Executive Director. "We praise Governor Pataki for his courage and compassion."

The Governor announced his intention to address the discrimination faced by gay surviving partners in obtaining crime victim benefits at the Pride Agenda's 10th Annual Fall Dinner in Manhattan on October 4. In his remarks, the Governor noted that it was the Pride Agenda that brought the issue to his attention shortly after the September 11 attacks.

The Pride Agenda also has been working to ensure that private relief agencies, such as the Red Cross and United Way, treat gay surviving partners equitably with spouses, and that larger fund-raising efforts distribute monies to agencies that have policies that treat gay survivors fairly.

Last week, Rev. Lou Sheldon, head of the Family Research Council, lambasted the Pride Agenda's work, saying the Pride Agenda was attempting to "redefine what marriage is."

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force quickly criticized Sheldon's demand that the government and private relief agencies discriminate against gay victims.

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National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

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Sheldon had been quoted insisting relief organizations "should be first giving priority to those widows who were at home with their babies and those widowers who lost their wives." He further suggested that aid "should be given on the basis and priority of one man and one woman in a marital relationship."

"Lou Sheldon's hateful rhetoric has again crossed the line," said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of NGLTF.

"This is a time when everyone should stand united in support of the terrorism victims. September 11 proved that heroism knows no sexual orientation. It is divisive and inhumane to suggest that relief workers turn their backs on any victim of this horrible tragedy."

"Once again, Sheldon is out of step with the rest of the country. He is taking the 'get back to business' mantra to the extreme by not skipping a beat in promoting the same narrow and hateful agenda that has been his trademark for years," Jean continued.

"I sincerely hope that the American people will rise up in protest against Sheldon's fanaticism, just as they did against Jerry Falwell's," Jean said, referencing the controversy provoked when evangelist Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson suggested that the United States may have brought the terrorist attacks on itself because of the activities of "pagans, feminists, gays, and lesbians."