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Gay, lesbian taxpayers to march for equality

Gay and lesbian community to march on City Hall in Tax Day protest

By JESSICA ALLEN

Date published: 4/14/2004

While some Fredericksburg-area residents rush to the post office tomorrow to mail in their tax returns, some members of the gay and lesbian community will be standing at the corner protesting for marriage equality.

"We pay the same taxes and want the same benefits as heterosexual couples," said Fredericksburg resident Cris Elkins, who is coordinating the local "No Taxation With Discrimination" protest.

The event is a follow-up to area residents' march last month to Fredericksburg Circuit Court, where four same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses and were denied them.

That March 25 demonstration expressed opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage that President Bush has recently endorsed and a state resolution not to recognize such relationships that Virginia legislators passed last month.

"No Taxation With Discrimination" protests will be held tomorrow at dozens of cities across the nation. So far, Fredericksburg is the only city in Virginia to plan such a demonstration, Elkins said.

"When you take tax money from a group of people and then turn around and say they don't have the same legal rights as others, that's discrimination," he said.

Under federal law, gay and lesbian couples are not entitled to the same rights and benefits as heterosexual couples--such as coverage under a partner's medical insurance; inheritance of property after a partner dies; access to a partner's Social Security or pension benefits; and being legally recognized as the parents of a child, Elkins said.

The local march is sponsored by two local groups--Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities, an organization at Mary Washington College.

Protesters will gather near the main Fredericksburg post office on Princess Anne Street at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit DontAmend.com on the Web.

To reach JESSICA ALLEN: 540/368-5036 jiallen@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 4/14/2004