US News

Jun 17, 2009, 13:09 GMT

Obama to announce federal benefits for same sex partners

Washington - US President Barack Obama plans to approve benefits for federal workers to their unmarried partners, including same-sex partners, according to media reports Tuesday. The move was expected to be made on Wednesday and would affect health care and financial benefits that are currently denied to opposite sex and same sex partners, MSNBC and the Washington Post reported, quoting unnamed White House officials. The State Department last month announced a similar gesture for State Department employees. Obama has put the gay-rights activists community on edge with his opposition to same-sex marriage, a rallying cry for the movement. The move to extend benefits to the unmarried partners of federal workers could be seen as a gesture of reconciliation. But the long-simmering issue of same-sex marriage is both politically and morally charged in the US, and his move is likely to provoke loud criticism among conservatives. In last November's elections, California, Arizona and Florida passed gay marriage bans. In Arkansas, voters passed a law depriving gays of the right to adopt children. On the opposite side, Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts and Connecticut allow same-sex marriage. The order Obama is to sign on Wednesday apparently would not apply to military men and women in uniform.

And Also

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts - Cinema Blend
GASP: Goldstriker creates world's most expensive iPhone - The Tech Herald
Mysteries of "Zhu Zhu Hamsters," "Al Alberts," and "White House Party Crashers" Solved - PopEater
Chris Rock interview, Sons of Anarchy and Woody Allen shout out for 'Madagascar' star

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Obama's first presidential pardon: Turkey named Courage to be spared
Extremist militias on the rise in US
Obama honors Tutu, Kennedy and others with freedom medal
Desmond Tutu, Hawking, Yunus, Kennedy among 16 getting top US award
Obama calls for 'far better' education for black children

Latest Headlines in US

Older Talkback

USA: Index

: News; Features

Latest Pics

From Sites we Like

Tiger Woods condition upgraded from "serious" to "typical celebrity drunk driving accident" [NewsFlash]
Tow truck drivers tell cops they thought cars they towed from Best Buy last night belonged to patrons of nearby bar. Apparently didn't realize that the huge line of customers camped out for Black Friday may have had any connection [Dumbass]
Indiana police called to two separate Toys 'R Us stores because customers were fighting over robotic hamsters. I had no idea Richard Gere spent his holidays in Indiana [Asinine]

More Not News from Fark

In Monsters and Critics

: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Lifestyle; Movies; Music; News; People; Science & Nature; Sport; TV; Archives
Other Languages and Sites: Deutschland (Monsters and Critics); The Tech Herald; Free Games

Entertainment: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Movies; Music; People; Soundtracks; TV
Media: Celebrity Photos; Movie Pictures; Movie Trailers; Movie Posters; Theatre Stills; Celebrity Video; Music Video
Released this week: Movies - USA; Movies - UK; DVD - USA
Distractions: Online Games; Daily Crossword; Sudoku Classic; Daily Jigsaw

World News: US; UK; Americas; Europe; Middle East; Asia Pacific; South Asia; Africa; Business; Education; Health
Science and Tech: Science and Nature; Technology
Lifestyle: Autos; Fashion; Life; Travel

Corporate

: About; Advertise; Contact; The Team; Vacancies; Privacy; RSS; Site Map; Terms; Webmasters

The Fine Print

© 2003 - 2009 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint