LGBTQ elders who lost their partners before marriage was legal or before they reached the nine month mark minimum set by the Social Security Administration are finally getting justice. They are getting paid for the benefits they were due thanks to the Biden administration. A Christian school sent a homophobic contract out to their teachers and parents but one parent wasn’t having it. We salute Ron Oden today in our Black History Month Spotlight.

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

00:59 – Rate & Review Queer News Ad

01:27 – Intro Music

02:08 – LGBTQ elders who lost their partners before marriage was legal or before they reached the nine month mark minimum set by the Social Security Administration are finally getting justice. They are getting paid for the benefits they were due thanks to the Biden administration. 

05:35 – A Christian school sent a homophobic contract out to their teachers and parents but one parent wasn’t having it. 

06:38 – Black History Month spotlight today is on Ron Oden

08:00 – Anna’s Got A Word

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Family, this is your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with our queer news from today. Before we jump in I want to acknowledge that the episodes have been dropping later in the day. With the launch of The Qube drawing closer I’m having more and more late nights which makes it challenging to get up at the all needed 5am to get the podcast out by 9am. So I appreciate ya’ll’s grace and trust it will always drop. Now onto the news. 

LGBTQ elders who lost their partners before marriage was legal or before they reached the nine month minimum set by the Social Security Administration are finally getting justice. They are getting paid for the benefits they were due thanks to the Biden administration. A Christian school sent a homophobic contract out to their teachers and parents but one parent wasn’t having it. We salute Ron Oden today in our Black History Month Spotlight. 

Our leading story for today is one that brought a big smile to my face when I saw it and let me tell you why. Back in November the Biden administration dropped appeals in two class action lawsuits that were filed during the 45 era. The appeals were filed by 45’s administration after Lambda Legal won two cases representing LGBTQ widowers who were fighting for their partners social security benefits. In one case the partner passed away before same-sex marriage was legal and in the other case the partner passed away before the couple hit the nine month minimum the Social Security administration requires to recoup benefits. Lambda Legal won these cases and we all know how much 45 and his administration hated all things LGBTQ so they decided to drag their feet and then appeal these rulings. Well now the Biden administration has dropped those appeals and LGBTQ widows can now begin collecting on these benefits and let me tell you they are collecting. For example, Helen Thornton was denied social security survivor benefits after her partner of 27 years passed away in 2006. A judge in Seattle, Judge James Robart, ruled that denying Ms. Helen these benefits violated her constitutional right to due process and equal protection. Ms. Helen was able to collect a lump sum of $72,000 dollars for the years of denied payments. This is huge as she’s been struggling since her partner died 16 years ago. Anthony Gonzales was with his partner for almost 16 years and was only married for six months so he was initially denied these benefits as well. Now, he was able to collect a lump sum of $90,000 dollars and a monthly check of $1,800. So follow me here. Survivors will be able to collect on a lump sum as well as begin receiving their monthly payouts which are averaging around $1,250 a month. 

Some survivors might assume they aren’t eligible because they never actually got married. But the Social Security Administration has trained its staff to gauge whether a survivor would have been married if it wasn’t for anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Among other factors, they look at whether the couple was in a committed relationship, lived together or owned property together, supported each other financially, raised children together, or held a commitment ceremony. No single factor determines the outcome; it’s a flexible standard meant to accommodate for the restraints that anti-LGBTQ hate imposed on same-sex couples. Applicants can provide documentation, and if they’re turned down, they have an opportunity to appeal. 

Family, I want to shout this to the rooftops. I can only imagine the number of people who have no idea this is an option for them. Thousands on thousands? We know money cannot heal the harm caused by homophobic policies but I believe this extra money can help our LGBTQ elders live better lives while they’re still here. Ya’ll go and tell two, three, four friends okay. That’s our job now.  

Next I want to send a lot of love to a mom out of Australia. She was a teacher and parent of a student at the Citipointe Christian College. That is until the school sent out a contract to parents which stated that homosexuality and bisexuality are “sinful” and compared being LGBTQ to incest, bestiality and paedophilia. The contract went on to say that all of those things are offensive to God and are destructive to human relationships and society. This mom, Helen Burns, not only decided not to sign the contract but pulled her son out of the school and went on television to share her story. Since then a former student started a petition to get the school to recall the contracts. The petition has been signed by 70,000. Everytime I report on stories like this it gives me hope because people have so much courage in the face of so much hate. So much resilience. There isn’t anything easy about it, the sacrifice is so very real.

Ya’ll know its Black History Month and in every episode this month we are going to celebrate living at the intersections of being Black & Queer. There are so many Black LGBTQ folks who have made history but their sexuality was left out of the story. I’m here to change that. E3 Radio is here to change that. Who they are is just as important as what they did and acknowledging the full depth and breath of someone’s existence can not be understated. We deserve to be seen for all of who we are. Anything less is unjust. So with that we kick off our Black History spotlight with Ron Oden. As published by NBC News, When Oden was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California in 2003, he made history by becoming the first openly gay African American man elected mayor of an American city. He served 8 years on the city council before being elected as Mayor. Following Oden’s historic election 19 years ago, the Palm Spring City Council made history once again: In December 2017, it became America’s first all-LGBTQ city council. I mean I know Palm Springs was LGBTQ friendly but this has to make it the gayest place in the country right? I know I know San Francisco is too but the whole city council was LGBTQ. That’s next level. Ron we see you & we salute you. 

Now we always close with a word of the day. Anna’s always got a word & today’s word is going to be some positive affirmations as so many of us are surrounded by mounds and mounds of snow. The affirmation reads, I inhale positive energy and exhale any fears. I will not worry about things that are out of my control. I am no longer afraid of what could go wrong. I focus on what is going right. I will calmly think of solutions to any problems that may arise. I can handle anything that comes my way. You got this. Till tomorrow family, peace. 

Sources

The Biden Administration Is Paying Out Thousands to Victims of Anti-Gay Discrimination

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/01/social-security-survivors-benefits-biden-marriage.html

Gay widower got $90,000 for past discrimination due to Biden administration reforms

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/02/gay-widower-got-90000-past-discrimination-due-biden-administration-reforms/

Biden administration allows LGBTQ seniors to get Social Security benefits equally

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/11/biden-administration-allows-lgbtq-seniors-get-social-security-benefits-equally/

Furious teacher quits after Christian school compares homosexuality to incest and paedophilia

Furious teacher quits after Christian school compares homosexuality to incest and paedophilia

16 queer black pioneers who made history

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/black-history-month-17-lgbtq-black-pioneers-who-made-history-n1130856#anchor-StormDeLarverie19202014

LGBTQ elders are getting justice in the fight for social security benefits, A teacher stands up against a homophobic school contract & We salute Ron Oden in our Black History Month Spotlight – Wednesday, January 2, 2022