NYS Benefits Now Open To Gay Married

Big news! A New York judged has ruled that the state retirement system must treat all legally married same-sex couples from outside of New York the same as opposite-sex couples, dismissing a challenge from the Arizona-based anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund. The ADF filed suit based on a 2004 decision by then State Comptroller Alan Hevesi to recognize gay couples married in Canada. The state comptroller is the sole trustee of the state's retirement benefits program, which includes almost one million New Yorkers. Gay employees of the state who are legally married in other jurisdictions can now include their partners in their retirement benefits programs. The ruling affects gay couples married in Massachusetts, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa and Belgium.