Local Paper's Snub of Same-Sex Surviving Partner Draws Protest, HRC

A local newspaper in Batesville, Arkansas, excluded all reference to a surviving life partner in the obituary of a gay man, John Millican, who died earlier this month. Now, the Human Rights Campaign has joined the protest that was sparked by a policy that prevents the paper from publishing the names of non-married partners in a state where gay and lesbian families are denied marriage rights.

"Terrance James of Batesville, AR, recently lost his partner of ten years to spinal meningitis," text posted by the HRC explains.

"Terrance wrote and submitted an obituary to the Batesville Daily Guard," the text continues. "The paper proceeded to remove all mention of Terrance, and instead only mentioned his partner's siblings and deceased parents."

According to a Huffington Post article, it was James who was with Millican at the end of his life, and who made the decision to take his stricken partner off life support. Millican died on June 11.

Moreover, the Huffington Post reported, Millican barely had any contact at all with his siblings.

"Angelia Roberts, the paper's managing editor, told Terrance the Guard has a policy of not recognizing unmarried partners in their free obituaries," the HRC's text said. "She offered to re-run the obituary with Terrance included -- but for a fee of $85."

Same-sex partners are denied any federal recognition or protections by an anti-gay law from 1996, the "Defense of Marriage" Act (DOMA). The provisions of the act suspend the Constitution's "full faith and credit" clause, which mandates that contracts entered into in any one state must be honored by all the other states. DOMA also blocks same-sex partners from receiving federal pensions that heterosexual surviving spouses would have access to , and levies punishing inheritance taxes on gay and lesbian families for inheritances -- all too often, the survivor's own home.

An Oct. 2, 2009, New York Times article found that same-sex families pay out of pocket for an array of protections and benefits that heterosexual couples receive for free, with a cumulative total that can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a shared life.

The general manager of the Daily Guard, Pat Jones, explained to GLBT publication Queerty that the exclusion was a matter of policy.

"It's not a gay thing," Jones said. "We don't list unmarried couples, in-laws, or pets in the free obituaries." Jones added that, given the attention to the matter, the paper is "looking into the policy."

But to same-sex families, the significant part of that explanation is that "unmarried couples" do not enjoy the privilege of a survivor being noted in the obituary of the deceased, regardless of a long and committed relationship. Arkansas does not permit same-sex couples to marry. Voters in that state approved a discriminatory amendment to the Arkansas constitution that bars access to marriage by gay and lesbian families and also bans civil unions.

The HRC has launched a petition to the paper's managing editor, together with local equality advocacy group the Center for Artistic Revolution.

"There are few times in life when one faces the difficult task of submitting a loved one's life, in the form of black and white copy, into a newspaper's office for an obituary," notes the petition, which expresses disappointment that the paper "only offered to include Mr. James' relationship with his beloved partner if he paid a fee, while married couples are allowed to have their relationships recognized in print without an additional charge.

"Recent Gallup polling shows that a clear majority of Americans support marriage equality for same-sex couples," the petition's text adds.

The Center for Artistic Revolution pointed out that The Batesville Daily Guard generated headlines last fall by helping break the story of an Arkansas school board member whose anti-gay Facebook posting was seen as encouraging GLBT youth to commit suicide.

Clint McCance, a member of the Midland school board in northern Arkansas, made his comments in response to a Facebook campaign encouraging GLBT people and allies to wear purple in memory of gay teens who killed themselves after enduring anti-gay bullying. McCance posted that the only way he would wear purple is "if they all commit suicide."

The posting created a backlash. McCance appeared on Anderson Cooper's CNN news program on Oct. 28, 2010, to announce that he would be stepping down from the school board.

"The only thing I can do is extend my apologies for my poor speech," McCance said during his CNN appearance. "I don't wish death on anyone."

McCance added that his commentary had been "Too harsh" and "too emotional," and said that the angry response he had received prompted him to send his family out of state, as he feared for their safety.

"Spirit Day," when gays and allied straights were encouraged to wear purple articles of clothing, was commemorated on Oct. 20, 2010. The Facebook page "R.I.P. In memory of the recent suicides due to gay abuse, wear purple," was attacked with a spate of anti-gay postings on Oct. 5, 2010.

On his own Facebook page, McCance wrote, "Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE."

When the comment drew a sarcastic response reading, "Because hatred is always right," McCance fired back with, "No because being a fag doesn't give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives.

"If you get easily offended by being called a fag then dont tell anyone you are a fag," McCance's posting continued. "Keep that shit to yourself. I dont care how people decide to live their lives. They dont bother me if they keep it to thereselves. It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them. I like that fags cant procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die. If you arent against it, you might as well be for it."

In response to another challenge, McCance replied, "I would disown my kids they were gay. They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off. Of course my kids will know better. My kids will have solid christian beliefs."

Shortly after the brouhaha broke out, McCance stepped down from the school board.