GAY SPOUSES PRESS BENEFITS CASE IN R.I.: From the Boston Globe

In a case thought to be the first of its kind in Rhode Island, a Massachusetts woman who retired from teaching in the neighboring state has asked that her health insurance benefits be extended to her same-sex spouse.

In response, the Tiverton School Committee in Rhode Island has asked a state Superior Court judge to rule whether Cheryl McCullough, 60, of Swansea, can include Joyce Boivin, 54, in her retirement health plan. Written arguments are expected to be submitted by Jan. 21 to Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr.

McCullough and Boivin wed in June, shortly after Massachusetts allowed same-sex couples to marry following a historic ruling by the state Supreme Judicial Court. ...

Civil rights and union attorneys working on McCullough's behalf said yesterday that the case is strictly contractual and will not have sweeping implications in Rhode Island, where some state and municipal entities already provide health benefits to domestic partners, some of whom are of the same sex.

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posted by Eve at 3:30 PM | Link |

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