ESPA Praises Governor Pataki for Order Granting Equal Benefits to Gay Partners of those Killed in WTC Attacks Empire State Pride Agenda Press Release "An Incredibly Just and Humane Act" Nation's First Substantive Government Policy Change to Help Gay Survivors of September 11 Attacks Press Contacts: Joe Tarver (212) 627-0305 / (917) 604-7509 (cell) Joe Grabarz or Matt Foreman (212) 627-0305 / (646) 567-8434 (cell) New York City, New York - October 12, 2001 - The Empire State Pride Agenda, New York's statewide gay and lesbian civil rights organization, praised Governor George E. Pataki for issuing an executive order granting surviving partners of gay victims of the World Trade Center attacks equal benefits as spouses from the state's Crime Victims Board. The order was issued late yesterday afternoon (October 11). 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. "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 do 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." 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. The benefits are up to $600 per week to a total of $30,000. Previously, a surviving partner was not eligible for these benefits unless he/she could prove that the deceased was responsible for at least 75% of the household income. Surviving spouses and other blood relatives, on the other hand, were eligible for the benefits regardless of the degree of their dependence on the deceased. As a result of the order, surviving partners will receive the same benefits as spouses. "Under the old policy, a surviving gay partner would invariably lose his or her home within a couple of months," Foreman said. "Now, for at least the World Trade Center survivors, there will be some cushion." The Pride Agenda said it would work with its many allies in the crime victim community to get the Crime Victims Board to extend this policy to the surviving partners of all murder victims.
	Founded in 1990, the Empire State Pride Agenda is New York's statewide, non-partisan lesbian and gay civil rights and political advocacy organization. Its mission is to end discrimination and prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation. The Pride Agenda fights for equal rights under the law by lobbying state and local elected officials, electing supportive candidates to office, organizing constituent pressure, and educating the public. Recent victories include the enactment of a statewide hate crimes law, repeal of the consensual sodomy statute, and the passing of local non-discrimination measures in Buffalo, Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Westchester County. With 25,000 supporters statewide, it has offices and staff in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, and Rochester.
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