On Our Terms
A Practical Guide for Lesbian and Gay Relationships
Laurie Bell
By extension, many of the benefits granted heterosexual couples do not apply to same-sex couples: for instance, government benefits (Canada Pension Plan, War Veteran’s Allowance, and so forth), old age security, provincial family and disability benefits, welfare allowance, workers’ compensation, injury and death benefits, and inheritance rights (Bell, On Our Own Terms, pp. 89). Although homosexuality has been legal in Canada for almost two decades, it has not been socially, culturally, politically validated. For instance, it is still difficult to find public funding for lesbian or gay research or cultural and artistic events. Although in Ontario, since 1986, lesbians and gays are officially protected from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, and services, only heterosexuality is validated by the state.
For example, a woman cohabitating with a male lover stands to lose her welfare benefits, whereas if she were living with her lesbian lover, her benefits would not be affected. This renders the lesbian option invisible. The improvements that have occurred recently include a number of provincially sponsored government employments that recognize same-sex lovers as legitimate for the purposes of benefits (medical, insurance, pension, and so forth).
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Details
Genre | Legal |
Copyright Date | 1991 |
Publication Date | 1991 |
Publisher | Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario |
Format | Trade Paperback |
No. of Pages | 67 |
Language | English |
Rating | NotRated |
BookID | 9194 |