5 Things Same-Sex Couples Need To Know About Social Security
Until the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages, Social Security was a crapshoot for gay couples. The Social Security Act says that in order for a surviving or former spouse to receive benefits from a worker’s record, the state that couple lived in needed to recognized their marriage. So if a same-sex married couple were legally married in one state but lived in a state that didn’t recognize their marriage, no spousal benefits could be claimed.

But the recent court ruling changed all that. States are now required to allow same-sex marriage and to recognize those marriages when they occur in other states. And that recognition opens the door to Social Security’s spousal and survivor benefits — considered to be among the most valuable features of the program.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that now same-sex couples can be as confused as heterosexual couples are when it comes to tapping into the SSA. Here are five things everyone should know:

1. For all things Social Security, it pays to be married — literally.
At your full retirement age, your benefit as a spouse can be equal to one-half of your mate’s full retirement amount. Claiming Social Security benefits as a married couple (instead of as two single individuals) can increase additional lifetime benefits significantly — in some cases, to the tune of $100,000 or more.

2. When your spouse dies, you will be provided for.
There are a ton of rules around claiming survivor benefits, but in a nutshell, if you are married and your spouse dies, you can claim Social Security benefits based on their working record instead of your own. So, if your spouse earned way more than you did, you would be eligible to receive their higher earned benefit for the rest of your life — which, again, wouldn’t be possible if you claimed Social Security as two single individuals. If you and your spouse earn about the same, the impact of this benefit will be minimal. But prior to the Supreme Court ruling, not having your marriage recognized meant no money paid to a survivor.

3. To have loved and lost beats never having loved at all.
Put more directly: Divorce beats never marrying. That’s because if you are divorced, you can still collect Social Security benefits from the work record of your ex. Doing this won’t impact how much his/her present spouse collects. This only works if you are single though. Once you remarry, this money faucet turns off. To get benefits as an ex-spouse, your marriage must have lasted at least 10 years.

4. Opposite-sex couples may still get more Social Security money than same-sex couples.
Financial Engines recently estimated that the value of spousal and survivor benefits is even larger for heterosexual couples because there are greater age differences among spouses in opposite-sex marriages. These age differences increase the potential values of marriage benefits, especially survivor benefits. Women outlive men and spend more than 11 years on average as widows, according to the Society of Actuaries, so survivor benefits are enormously important to them.

5. Social Security is like a tree trunk with many branches.
Let’s start with a principal earner who is eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. A little-known feature of the Social Security system is that in addition to paying retirement benefits for the retired worker, it may provide benefits to the worker’s spouse, an ex-spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, and dependent children and grandchildren, depending on the circumstances. Moreover, these benefits can be paid all at the same time.

Anyone have any other pieces of wisdom to share when it comes to Social Security? Please tell us about it in comments.

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78 Malibu Colony, Malibu, California

Looking over the sandy beach, this iconic five bedroom house, declared a California State Cultural Landmark, sits in the famed Malibu Colony, California.

Built in 1968 as architect John Lautner’s first Malibu project, the Stevens Residence’s striking glass, timber and concrete exterior was designed to resemble waves.

The property’s iconic shape had been described as an ‘avant-garde boat’.

In 2007, film producer Michael LaFetra bought the property and restored it to its former 1960s glory, while some upgrades build a bridge to the present.

As a result, the original cedar planking throughout the property has been carefully replaced and intended, but never implemented lofts have been realized.

The property doesn’t just boast a fantastic position, sitting on the sandy beach, but also a large deck, grassy yard and the large pool; cork flooring and solar energy enhance the house’s sustainability.

Reportedly, John Lautner was the only architect able to fit a residence with a pool onto the limited building ground.

Its unique shape, big windows and interior layout don’t just mean a number of rooms enjoy breathtaking views over the Pacific Ocean, but the property is also flooded by natural light.

High ceilings and rounded shapes make the residence feel open and spacious, while built-in furniture ensures all available space is used as effectively as possible.

The interior, including built-in furniture, has been restored to its near-original state.

Sold through Knight Frank, the Stevens Residence clocks in at $19.75 million (€17,944,366, £12,632,484).

The post 78 Malibu Colony, Malibu, California appeared first on Gay Star News.

Stefanie Gerdes

www.gaystarnews.com/article/78-malibu-colony-malibu-california/

PHOTOS: Frisky Go-Go Boys Engage In Foreplay In San Francisco

Club kid Ricky Rebel performed live with world-renowned DJ Hector Fonseca and Audio4Play Records at Beatbox in San Francisco earlier this month. Meanwhile, scantily-clad go-go boys shook their tail feathers as the crowd cheered them on enthusiastically. There’s a reason Beatbox was voted one of San Francisco’s best nightclubs.

Scroll down to see the go-go boys in action, and check out the full gallery over at GayCities…

Photo credit: Marques Daniels

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/_qpKWTCW-8o/photos-frisky-go-go-boys-engage-in-foreplay-in-san-francisco-20150715

Op-ed: Thank You, Mormon Church

The president of the Utah Pride Center says we should be greeting the Mormon Church’s slow embrace of LGBT people with appreciation, not scorn.

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Kent Frogley

www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/07/15/op-ed-thank-you-mormon-church

Product of the day: Flying Flames chandelier

No matter how elegant or modern, in the end all lamps come down to a basic skeleton: circuits, a light source and electricity are what make the magic happen.

So why not give your lamp a twist by stripping it down to its core – for example in form of the delightfully different, yet elegant Flying Flames chandelier, designed by Ingo Maurer and Moritz Waldemeyer.

The flexible chandelier system combines dimmable LED candles, made of a printed circuit board, metal, anodized aluminum and plastic, with simple Downlight Elements adding a pleasant light below.

The flames make visible what is usually hidden inside a lamp’s casing.

In a bid to make chandeliers as personal as possible, candles and Downlight Elements can be placed freely along the canopy; cables can be adjusted to different lengths.

Each canopy has jacks for up to ten flames and two light elements, but canopies can be combined to create a bigger chandelier; the downlights are equipped with a touch dimmer (with memory function) while candles can be dimmed separately.

Buyers can choose between black or red flames; the Downlights come in black, with the canopy only available in white.

Stocked around the world, the Flying Flames are not available online – to find a retailer near you, have a look here.

The post Product of the day: Flying Flames chandelier appeared first on Gay Star News.

Stefanie Gerdes

www.gaystarnews.com/article/product-of-the-day-flying-flames-chandelier/

The Bold and the Beautiful's Scott Turner Schofield Speaks Transgender Truth to 30 Million

‘If this was on prime time, people would be losing their minds,’ says the soap star, who’s showing audiences that trans people owe no one an explanation.

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Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/07/15/bold-and-beautifuls-scott-turner-schofield-speaks-transgender-truth-30

Former college wrestler gets 30 years for ‘recklessly’ transmitting HIV

A former college wrestler has been sentenced 30 years in prison for ‘recklessly’ transmitting HIV.

Michael Johnson, 23, tested positive for HIV in January 2013. But the former Lindenwood University student continued to have unprotected sex with men he met on hookup apps until he was arrested in October that year, after a partner who contracted the virus from went to the police.

A jury found Johnson guilty of ‘recklessly infecting’ a man with HIV, attempting to infect another, and exposing three others to the virus in May.

Judge Jon Cunningham told Johnson that he had committed ‘very severe’ crimes before handing down the sentence on Tuesday (14 July).

‘The main thing is the profound effect your actions have had on the victims and their families,’ he said.

Johnson was also given 30 years and six months for the four lesser charges, which he will serve concurrently with the main sentence.

Johnson did not apologize but said in a statement: ‘I never want anyone to have to go through the pain’ of having HIV.

Missouri is one of 33 states that have HIV criminalization laws, which AIDS activists have slammed for being outdated and unfairly targeting black men.

‘The criminal statute that Michael Johnson was convicted of violating was originally passed in 1988, at a time when HIV was considered a “death sentence,”‘ said Mayo Schreiber, deputy director of The Center for HIV Law and Policy.

‘Today, with proper treatment, HIV is a chronic, manageable disease and those with HIV can expect to live a full, healthy life.

Yet violation of the Missouri law is a class A felony, with a sentencing range of 10-30 years or life imprisonment. Other class A felonies include murder or child abandonment resulting in death. Punishing Michael Johnson as if he is a murderer because state officials have failed to address a severely outdated, irrational criminal law is not only fundamentally unfair, it is barbaric.’

The post Former college wrestler gets 30 years for ‘recklessly’ transmitting HIV appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/former-college-wrestler-gets-30-years-for-recklessly-transmitting-hiv/

WATCH: Texas County Sees Impassioned Debate Over LGBT-Themed Kids' Books

Some residents of Hood County had complained about the books’ presence in the public library, leading to a heated meeting — but a decision to keep the books.

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Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/youth/2015/07/14/watch-texas-county-sees-impassioned-debate-over-lgbt-themed-kids-books

Few School Districts Have Anti-Bullying Policies Protecting LGBT Students
A majority of American school districts have no policies protecting LGBT students from bullying, according to a report released Wednesday.

Nearly 30 percent of school districts have no official anti-bullying policy, according to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, which surveyed more than 13,000 school districts. Of the 70 percent of school districts that do have anti-bullying policies, fewer than half explicitly outline protections for students who get bullied because of their sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation. Only about 14 percent of districts have protections based on gender identity or expression.

America’s LGBT community has made historic strides in recent weeks. In late June, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide, using the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause to support the ruling. In early July, the U.S. Department of Justice sided with a transgender teen suing his school district because it will not let him use the boys restroom.

Still, the report found that many school districts fail to comply with state laws requiring anti-bullying codes, while others go beyond what their states mandate.

The report “illustrates the gap that can emerge between the intentions of a law and the actual implementation –- arguably the most critical component of the passage of any law,” said Eliza Byard, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network executive director, in a press release. “There remain far too many school districts that have failed to institute policy protections, even in states which require them by law. As a result, these schools continue to fail our students.”

The organization analyzed the anti-bullying policies of every school district from 2008 to 2011.

The map below shows which states are most likely to have school districts with any anti-bullying policy. The graph shows which states have school districts with the most inclusive anti-bullying policies.

Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s annual school climate survey, which asks LGBT youth about their experiences in school, shows that “students who believe that their schools have LGBT-inclusive policies experience better school climates,” the report says.

The group’s most recent school climate report from the 2012-2013 school year found that of the 8,000 students surveyed, more than 55 percent reported feeling unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation.

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