Greene v. County of Sonoma et al.

As I'm sure you've heard, California is once again in the news with a case that simply boggles the mind. Clay Greene and Harold Scull were a couple for 25 years. They'd done everything within the law to ensure that they could care for each other.  The County of Sonoma and their many co-defendants made a mockery of those legal documents and perpetrated one of the most vile cases of elder abuse and discrimination on record.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is handling Greene's case. I encourage you to read the case docket and see for yourself what Clay Greene and Harold Scull were subjected to at the hands of their own government.

It's long and full of legalese as these kind of documents are wont to be, but it's worth the effort to slog through it to understand just how depraved and criminal the actions of the county, the nursing home, the auction house and all those involved were.

This is why we need a repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and the recognition of same-sex marriage in all 50 states.  Despite taking legal measures available to them, they were separated, had their financial accounts confiscated, their home and belongings auctioned off,  involuntarily placed in separate nursing home and verbally harassed and threatened by the very people meant to ensure their safety. None of which would have happened had they had one simple legal document - a marriage certificate.

If I were to suffer a similar fate as Harold, no one would deny my husband access to me. No  one would confiscate our bank account, our home, our pets and dispose of them without our consent. All because the state recognizes our relationship and grants us a over a thousand different federal benefits.

25 years of a shared life destroyed in a few months at the hands of bigots.