Steven Thrasher has been named the 2012 National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association journalist of the year. After gay marriage was legalized in New York last year, he followed two same-sex couples who finally earned the right to consider whether or not they wanted to get married:
‘We never did this saying, “We’re going to go out and marry right away,” ‘ Howard says. ‘We won the right. Now, we have the choice.’
Besides: ‘I was waiting for Kevin to bring it up.’
Kevin hears this and replies, ‘Really? That’s interesting,’ without adding more.
It turns out that although same-sex couples now have 1,324 new legal benefits in New York State, there are actually some big economic incentives for Kevin and Howard not to wed. Kevin receives state insurance for his disabilities, and marrying Howard would end that. While it would allow Kevin to go onto Howard’s insurance plan, the co-payments for the drugs and procedures he needs could be prohibitive.
This is exactly the kind of conundrum cohabitating straight couples of certain means have had to face from time to time.
“Maybe I Do And Maybe I Don’t.” — Steven Thrasher, Village Voice
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