في أعقاب قرار المحكمة العليا الصادر يوم الأربعاء الماضي بإلغاء المادة الثالثة من قانون الدفاع عن الزواج، أعلن مكتب إدارة الموظفين الفيدرالي يوم الجمعة 28 يونيو/حزيران 2013 أنه سيكون الآن "قادراً على توسيع نطاق المزايا لتشمل الموظفين الفيدراليين والمستفيدين من المعاشات التقاعدية المتزوجين قانونياً من زوج من نفس الجنس".

وعلى الرغم من الوعد بتقديم معلومات إضافية حول "مجموعة أوسع من القضايا" في المستقبل، فقد قدمت إدارة شؤون الموظفين إرشادات فورية بشأن التأمين الصحي (FEHB)؛ والتأمين على الحياة (FEGLI)؛ والتأمين على الأسنان والرؤية (FEDVIP)؛ والتأمين على الرعاية طويلة الأجل (FLTCIP)؛ وحسابات التوفير المرنة (FSA)؛ وقدرة المتقاعدين على اختيار معاش الناجي إذا تزوجوا بعد التقاعد.

حيثما ينطبق ذلك، قامت إدارة شؤون الموظفين بإنشاء فترة تسجيل مفتوحة جديدة خاصة مدتها 60 يومًا تبدأ من 26 يونيو 2013 حتى 26 أغسطس 2013.

يمكن قراءة إرشادات مكتب إدارة الموظفين للوكالات هنا.

وفي تطور آخر يؤثر بالفعل على حياة العديد من الأشخاص، أوضحت وزارة الأمن الداخلي أصبح من حق المواطنين الأميركيين في الزيجات الثنائية الجنسية من نفس الجنس الآن التقدم بطلبات الحصول على البطاقة الخضراء لزوجهم بنفس الطريقة التي يتم بها تقديم الطلبات نيابة عن الزوج من الجنس الآخر.

يمكن للموظفين الفيدراليين الذين لديهم أسئلة أو يواجهون مشكلات الاتصال بخط معلومات GLAD على الرقم (800) 455-GLAD، أو gladlaw@glad.org.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the legal organization that first brought marriage equality to the United States nine years ago, today hailed the Supreme Court’s historic decisions in وندسور ضد الولايات المتحدة و هولينغسوورث ضد بيري. In Windsor, Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down, and in بيري, the court ruled that the proponents of Proposition 8 did not have standing to appeal lower court rulings.

This means that all legally married same-sex couples will have access to all the federal protections afforded to legally married opposite-sex couples, and that California couples will likely have the right to marry, in accordance with the federal district court ruling.

"The Court has removed the stain and the insult that is DOMA,” said Lee Swislow, GLAD’s Executive Director.  “This is an enormous victory and a joyous day for loving, married couples and their families – and for thousands of couples in California who will now be able to express their commitment through marriage.”

“Today, the Supreme Court affirmed that there should be no gay exception in how the federal government regards marriage.  If you are married, you are married,” said

Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director for GLAD, and lead counsel in the 2003 Massachusetts case جودريدج ضد وزارة الصحة العامة, of the Court’s ruling against DOMA. “Married couples now come before the federal government as equals.”

Married couples from any state with questions about the immediate impact of the Court striking down DOMA can contact GLAD’s Legal InfoLine: 1-800-455-4523; or gladlaw@glad.org; or by live chat at www.gladlaw.org/rights/infoline-contact.

DOMA, which was enacted in 1996, barred all legally married same-sex couples from being recognized as married under federal law.  Its impact and damage has been far-reaching, touching on every area of federal law, from Social Security and family medical leave to immigration policy and tax-filing.

GLAD brought two multi-plaintiff challenges to DOMA, جيل ضد مكتب إدارة شؤون الموظفين in 2009 and بيدرسن ضد مكتب إدارة شؤون الموظفين in 2010, winning two district level decisions and one appellate victory, laying legal groundwork for today’s SCOTUS ruling.  GLAD also coordinated the massive صديق المحكمة effort in support of وندسور, a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind, on behalf of Edith Windsor.

“Congratulations to our colleagues and friends at the ACLU, to Edie Windsor, to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, to the plaintiffs in Perry, and the people of California,” said Swislow. “Like our جيل و بيدرسن plaintiffs, Edie was stung by discrimination.  She and her advocates have won an historic victory that will enable couples to better protect one another and their children.”

GLAD will be working in coming months on implementation, and will keep the community informed as legal issues are clarified.

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the legal organization that first brought marriage equality to the United States nine years ago, today hailed the Supreme Court’s historic decisions in وندسور ضد الولايات المتحدة و هولينغسوورث ضد بيري. In Windsor, Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down, and in بيري, the court ruled that the proponents of Proposition 8 did not have standing to appeal lower court rulings.

This means that all legally married same-sex couples will have access to all the federal protections afforded to legally married opposite-sex couples, and that California couples will likely have the right to marry, in accordance with the federal district court ruling.

"The Court has removed the stain and the insult that is DOMA,” said Lee Swislow, GLAD’s Executive Director.  “This is an enormous victory and a joyous day for loving, married couples and their families – and for thousands of couples in California who will now be able to express their commitment through marriage.”

“Today, the Supreme Court affirmed that there should be no gay exception in how the federal government regards marriage.  If you are married, you are married,” said

Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director for GLAD, and lead counsel in the 2003 Massachusetts case جودريدج ضد وزارة الصحة العامة, of the Court’s ruling against DOMA. “Married couples now come before the federal government as equals.”

Married couples from any state with questions about the immediate impact of the Court striking down DOMA can contact GLAD’s Legal InfoLine: 1-800-455-4523; or gladlaw@glad.org; or by live chat at www.gladlaw.org/rights/infoline-contact.

DOMA, which was enacted in 1996, barred all legally married same-sex couples from being recognized as married under federal law.  Its impact and damage has been far-reaching, touching on every area of federal law, from Social Security and family medical leave to immigration policy and tax-filing.

GLAD brought two multi-plaintiff challenges to DOMA, جيل ضد مكتب إدارة شؤون الموظفين in 2009 and بيدرسن ضد مكتب إدارة شؤون الموظفين in 2010, winning two district level decisions and one appellate victory, laying legal groundwork for today’s SCOTUS ruling.  GLAD also coordinated the massive صديق المحكمة effort in support of وندسور, a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind, on behalf of Edith Windsor.

“Congratulations to our colleagues and friends at the ACLU, to Edie Windsor, to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, to the plaintiffs in Perry, and the people of California,” said Swislow. “Like our جيل و بيدرسن plaintiffs, Edie was stung by discrimination.  She and her advocates have won an historic victory that will enable couples to better protect one another and their children.”

GLAD will be working in coming months on implementation, and will keep the community informed as legal issues are clarified.

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.