The Boston Globe this Sunday published an article titled, “Learning to adjust,” with a sub-heading explaining, “For millions of middle-class Americans, the recession has forever changed spending habits and forced a reconsideration of basic expectations—like retirement.” What makes this more than just another article on personal finance, however, is that the couple profiled consists of lesbian moms Liz Page and Marianne Stravinskas. The fact that they are a same-sex couple is incidental to the main thrust of the piece, which is not about “gay” finance per se.
Yes, that’s right—same-sex couples have concerns other than “gay” ones, and LGBT people are able to speak out about any number of things having nothing to do with orientation, identity, or LGBT rights. It may seem obvious to us, but it’s a rare bit of media coverage that includes same-sex couples (other than famous ones like Ellen and Portia) in anything other than “gay” articles.
At the same time, author Robert Gavin acknowledges the fact that the women face an additional hurdle in retirement because federal law does not let one get Social Security survivor benefits from the other. He’s not avoiding the “gay” issues; he’s simply showing the couple as well rounded people.
Bravo.
