Congratulations on your marriage!
Heterosexual couples receive a basket of legal privileges when they get married. The following rights are available to straight men and women who get married in New York. Each and every right, however, is denied to same-sex couples.
- Access to health insurance through spouse’s workplace
- The right to custody of children of children after divorce
- Visitation rights to non-biological children
- Joint parenting rights, such as access to children’s school records
- Bereavement leave after death of a spouse
- Burial determination after the death of a spouse
- Domestic violence intervention
- Ability to live in neighborhoods deemed “families only”
- Access to survivor to life insurance in spouse’s workplace
- Rights to shared property, child support, and alimony after divorce
- Ability to file joint home and auto insurance policies
- Joint rental leases with automatic renewal rights if spouse dies or leaves
- Automatic inheritance of shared assets after spouse’s death
- Automatic inheritance of retirement saving tax-free after spouse’s death
- Ability to file joint tax returns
- Access to tax breaks for married couples
- Assumption of spouse’ pension after death
- Ability to transfer property from one spouse to another without transfer tax consequences
- Immigration and residency priority for spouses from other countries
And many, many others…