The fight to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” finally ended Saturday with an affirmative vote to repeal the controversial ban. But the fight for a variety of additional side issues related to DADT is just about to begin.
Experts predict that overturning DADT will likely create a ripple effect involving other gay-rights issues, including same-sex marriage and the right of gay partners to share benefits similar to the way heterosexual married couples do. And many government state houses are ill prepared for the guaranteed fight ahead.
With gay service members now given the green light to serve openly, it will be even more difficult for states and policy makers to justify the withholding of visitation rights or survivor benefits to the same-sex spouse of a wounded or fallen soldier, which could soon also include the same-sex spouse of anyone.Why is this a problem? The answer is very simple: Dollars and Cents! States, corporations, and insurance companies have staunchly opposed gay rights including same-sex marriage and spousal benefits, not necessarily for moral reasons, but financial ones. If gays are allowed the same rights as heterosexual couples, the amount of people eligible to file a valid insurance claim could double, or even triple!
For example, if the XYZ Company employs 300 people, and 150 of them are married, XYZ must now offer insurance coverage for all 300 employees plus 150 married spouses. But if gays are allowed to marry, that could increase the number of married employees to 250. Which means XYZ would now have to offer insurance coverage for all 300 employees PLUS 250 married spouses. And this figure doesn’t factor in children from the additional married unions. Those are scary figures for insurance companies and corporations, who would much rather prefer not to pay more benefits than they already do. So it’s a pretty sure bet they are already working the phones this morning to lobby state and national government officials to stop the potential gay “gravy train” before it picks up any more steam and ends up costing them billions.
