Cases & Advocacy

Nancy C. v. Alameda County Fire Department

by Dan Mahoney | Jan 1, 2010 | designated beneficiaries, marriage equality, SB 54, same-sex, Senate Bill 54, out of state same sex marriages, employment benefits same-sex couples

Nancy C. is an emergency dispatcher with the Alameda County Fire Department. Nancy and her wife, a Canadian citizen, were married in Canada in October 2009. When Nancy learned about the passage of SB 54, the California law requiring the state government to grant all the rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples who get married in other states or countries after November 5, 2008, she asked her employer to add her wife as a beneficiary on her health and retirement plans. The human...

Press Release

National Center for Lesbian Rights Applauds Enactment of California Law to Clarify Rights of Same-Sex Couples Married Outside the State

by NCLR Staff | Oct 27, 2009 | same-sex couples, SB 54, State legislation

(San Francisco, California, October 27, 2009) — The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) applauds the passage of California’s SB 54, a bill authored by Senator Mark Leno and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on October 11, 2009. SB 54 clarifies the rights and responsibilities of same-sex couples who get married outside of California. NCLR worked closely with Equality California and Senator Leno’s office to support the measure throughout the legislative process, from...