Heart-wrenching Story About Why Gay Rights are Important

This is an absolute tear-jerker. Four months ago, Lacey resident Janice Langbehn, her partner Lisa Pond and their children Katie, David and Danielle, ages 10 to 13, were set for a relaxing cruise from Miami to the Bahamas. But Pond, Langbehn’s partner for nearly 18 years, was stricken in Miami with a brain aneurysm and died. Langbehn, a social worker, said officials at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital did not recognize her or their jointly adopted children as part of Pond’s family. They were not allowed to be with her in the emergency room, and Langbehn’s authority to make decisions for Pond was not recognized.

Can you imagine NOT BEING ALLOWED into the hospital room to be at your partner's bedside during his or her last moments? THIS is why we need legal recognition that is EQUAL with heterosexual couples. This is a horrible tragedy.

More, from the Olympian in Olympia, WA.