Support Reduced Taxes for Gays and Lesbians
Denied the Benefits of their Tax Dollars!

Media Release
Contact: Donald Cavanaugh, editor Second Class Action
303-864-0384
editor@secondclassaction.com
Second Class Action! (www.secondclassaction.com), has launched an online petition seeking reduced taxes for homosexual citizens who are denied access to rights and benefits given heterosexuals but who are required to pay the same taxes.

“It’s not just that we’re being robbed of our tax dollars,” said Donald Cavanaugh, editor of Second Class Action! “When heterosexual citizens take advantage of the benefits denied to us by state and federal governments, the homosexual minority is effectively subsidizing members of the majority, many of whom actively seek to oppress us. Our tax dollars pay for their benefits, not ours.”

Gay men and women are expelled from the armed services but neither they nor their fellow gay and lesbian citizens get a tax refund for denial of income and benefits. If we’re good enough to pay the taxes that support our men and women in uniform, why aren’t we good enough to wear those uniforms? And if Congress could prove that we’re not good enough, why should we be forced to pay more than our share – effectively subsidizing the heterosexuals who take the place of that portion of the population that should be represented by gays and lesbians.

Generally speaking, single people pay more taxes than married couples at the same income levels. So single people essentially subsidize a reduced tax rate for couples. Single heterosexuals can take advantage of the benefits of marriage but single gay people are denied this opportunity.

When Congress passed its Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the GAO released a report that marriage had an impact on more than 1,000 discrete rights and benefits that the federal government makes available only to married couples. The U.S. legislature effectively said ‘Sorry gay and lesbian taxpayers. You’re not good enough to partake of this benefice. But we’ll take your money anyway and give it to the people we like.’

“It’s really a form of legislated theft,” said Cavanaugh. They put their hands in our pockets, take our money and then tell us we’re not entitled to receive the benefits they offer to other citizens with our money. I think this should bother the religious right as much as it bothers me. Surely religious people don’t want their government to be guilty of stealing.”

The petition, which is accessible at http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?LGTaxes&1 asks the US congress to reduce income taxes for self-identified homosexuals. This would have the immediate effect of reducing state income taxes for most gays and lesbians since state taxes are usually based on federal taxes. Cavanaugh, however, said he hopes to post individual petitions for each state and is seeking volunteers in each state to manage those petitions.

The petition will be posted for a maximum of a year or 100,000 signatures at which time it will be documented and sent to all members of the United States Congress.

Second Class Action! is a grassroots organization dedicated to equality for all people with a focus on educating voters about the unfair tax burden placed on LGBT people. Individual stories of financial impact are welcome.