Good news for couples in civil unions from the Illinois Department of Revenue. See this article in today’s Chicago Tribune.
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Good news for couples in civil unions from the Illinois Department of Revenue. See this article in today’s Chicago Tribune.
An article in today’s Aurora Beacon-News discusses how county clerks are preparing for the civil union application process. Couples may apply for civil unions beginning June 1, 2011.
Today’s Chicago Tribune has a good article that discusses why opposite sex couples might seek a civil union rather than marriage. For example, senior citizens with survivor’s benefits from Social Security or a pension stand to lose that income if they remarry. A civil union would allow them to keep those benefits while still providing…
Dennis Engelhard and Kelly Glossip were life partners for almost 15 years. They owned a home together. Glossip’s teenage son from a previous marriage, before Glossip came out as gay, considered Engelhard a stepfather. But Glossip will not be receiving survivor’s benefits from Engelhard’s pension. Engelhard, a 10-year veteran of the Missouri State Highway Patrol,…
Illinois is among several states that have laws which clearly allow unmarried persons, including same-sex couples, to adopt. The Illinois Adoption Act states that “a reputable person of legal age and of either sex” may petition to adopt a child. 750 ILCS 50/2. Illinois courts have held that this applies to unmarried same-sex couples or…
The Illinois Disposition of Remains Act, 755 ILCS 65/1 et seq., provides one of the more recent tools in the Life Planning Toolbox. The Act allows a person (the “principal”) to provide written instructions for the disposition, including cremation, of his or her remains. It also allows a person to designate an agent to direct…
You die. You left no will. Maybe you were too busy or just kept putting it off. Maybe you thought you didn’t have enough property or money to justify having a will. For LGBT persons, a will is not optional. Dying without a will guarantees that your property will be automatically distributed to your legal…
You’re critically injured or seriously ill. Or for some other reason you can’t handle your financial matters. Do you have a plan in place? Who will take care of paying your bills? How will your paycheck or other checks get cashed? In Illinois this document is known as a power of attorney for property. It’s…
As an LGBT person or a person living with HIV, do you have a Life Plan Toolbox? Would you get into a boat going out on Lake Michigan without a life preserver? Would you let your loved one do so? If your answer is no, then why would you allow you and your loved ones…