Queercents

Gideon Alper publishes the Gay Couples Law Blog. The blog discusses new developments in same sex family law and estate planning. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and you can email him at gideon@galperlaw.com or follow him on twitter. These are his words…

When paying federal taxes, it can pay to be gay.

The IRS doesn’t recognize gay marriage because of the Defense of Marriage Act. Even if you’re officially married in one of the states that allows it, you still have to file as single for your federal taxes.

This unequal treatment, however, lets gay couples take advantage of their single-filer status by using tax-avoidance techniques that married straight couples, who have to file jointly, can’t use.

Today I’m going to focus on just one of these techniques: deferring the recognition of gain on the sale of your property. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger Dr. Jillian Weiss has a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Law, Policy & Society. Currently Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College of New Jersey, she has conducted research involving hundreds of companies and public agencies that have adopted “gender identity” policies. She publishes a popular blog on the subject of Transgender Workplace Diversity, and has numerous research publications on the subject of gender identity.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009, HR 3017, is pending in the House of Representatives, and has the public support of 164 Members of Congress. Another 40 are likely to vote yes, but have not yet made their support of the bill public, as far as we know. This makes a total of 204 in the yes column. 218 are needed for a majority in the House. Passage is likely, but we’re not yet clearly there as of today. You can get the specifics on our spreadsheet. If you’re in one of the swing districts (highlighted in yellow), call your Representative. (There is a link to contact info on the spreadsheet on the top right.)

The bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate. Our estimates suggest there are currently 58 likely yes votes, and there are a few Democrats whose support is unclear, and a few fair-minded Republicans who may be willing to cross party lines in favor of job equality. You can get the specifics on our Senate spreadsheet.

Legislation will probably be introduced in the Senate soon, and we will want to ask our Senators to co-sponsor the legislation when that happens. Hearings will probably held in the House in early fall, featuring testimony for and against the bill, followed by a vote in the House, if party leaders determine there are enough “yes” votes for passage. If and when passed in the House, the bill will hopefully go to the Senate for a vote shortly thereafter. Whether or not it gets to a floor vote depends again on party leaders determining that there are enough yes votes for passage. If and when passed in the Senate, it will go to President Obama for signature. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger Jillian Weiss will be posting, from time to time, a link to the U.S. Legislator of the Day.

This link will allow you to email a legislator who is undecided on ENDA, and tell him or her of your support for HR 3017, an inclusive ENDA that protects both sexual orientation and gender identity from job discrimination.

So without further ado, here is TODAY’S LEGISLATOR OF THE DAY: * * * drum roll please * * *

Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana

Rep. Ellsworth is a Blue Dog Democrat, but he voted for ENDA in 07. He’s undecided on this year’s ENDA bill, HR 3017. Please let him know why an inclusive ENDA, protecting both sexual orientation and gender identity, is important to you and yours.

Email: http://bit.ly/P1KTB

Tel: 202-225-4636

I’m not going to give you a script, because otherwise these letters will be disregarded as astroturf. You just tell ‘em in your own words why HR 3017 (ENDA) is important to you and yours, if it is. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger Andrea Hance is is an activist and educator in New York City. Currently, she works with school and community groups at the New York Tolerance Center attempting to light the flame of cultural understanding. She regularly blogs for Progessive Plaid and Feminists For Choice. These are her words . . .

Try to imagine a job that requires you to get up early in the morning to cook meals, chauffeur and entertain your clients. Once your clients have left the building, you look at the to-do list and find cleaning and administrative paperwork that must be done. Finally, when your clients return for meetings they need you to be their teacher, nurse and sometimes psychologist. Now imagine that you don’t receive any financial compensation for this job.

Mothers, both working and stay-at-home, perform several job functions and go unpaid for their skill and energy. Salary.com estimates that stay-at-home moms perform tasks that would equal an average income of $122,732 a year and working moms would add $76,184 to their annual earnings. Read the rest of this entry »

Bronson Page is a screenwriter, art director, gay rodeo dude and keeper of LovesickBilly.com. Recently, he was in a car accident on a Los Angeles freeway. This is what he learned…

I’m in the process of resolving my car accident, wherein a man hit me from behind on the 134 freeway, totaling my new car. Post-accident business is a complicated process. Here are 10 things that shouldn’t be missed.

1. At the scene, Sam, the CHP and I collected the other drivers’ insurance and drivers license information. Now that I think of it, it would have saved time for us to just take clear pictures of their insurance cards and drivers licenses – and even the cars – with the iPhone.

2. Since I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Sam got the information from the CHP officer to get a copy of the police report. The officer has a work week to complete it.  We will be able to get it from the CHP substation as soon as it is ready. This will be helpful because any involved insurance companies request this document by mail.  They will tell you that it takes 2-6 weeks for them to get a copy. The CHP office says that it takes “15 working days” from the date of the accident (so, May 28th).  I got it exactly 15 working days after the accident.  The insurance company is still waiting for a reply to their letter.  Once you get the police report, expedite everything by faxing or sending a copy to your own, and the offending driver’s insurance company. Read the rest of this entry »

Bronson Page is a screenwriter, art director, gay rodeo dude and keeper of LovesickBilly.com. Last year, I interviewed Bronson and his husband, Sam for our Ten Money Questions series. They’re hunky Hollywood types that know how to peddle their wares in a pinch. How hot is that? These are his words…

Sam and I had our long-anticipated everything-must-go yard sale last weekend.  Here’s what I learned:

1. Like water, we fill the space we occupy, with things we might not touch for years, like the dozens of books we sold – only the spines of which I ever read. $1 each.

2. Don’t sell anything for less than $1. If you’re trying to sell it for a quarter, it’s junk. You won’t have to carry around all those coins either.

3. It’s good to know I don’t ever have to see that miserable metal-legged desk I bought in Tijuana with Gerardo, 11 years ago, and that the woman who bought it will only have positive associations with it.

4. Most people buy DVDs to sell them. Don’t sell them for less than $2 each, before 2pm.  Then see what you’re left with and make ‘em $1. Read the rest of this entry »

Bronson Page is a screenwriter, art director, and keeper of LovesickBilly.com. The economic downturn has made Bronson and his husband, Sam, reassess their home life. These are his words…

Irrational.
The thought of a $40,000 car is nauseating, but I’ve had two of them, and at one point I was part owner of four cars at once.  It was madness.  Someone I know was given a pristine, paid-for, mid-century modern at the top of Mulholland by her Grandmother-in-law, as a wedding gift, and the couple considered putting $400K into a second story because there were no windowless rooms ideal for a media room.  Our own 1,600 square foot 3br home has felt been uncomfortable for a while, but not because it was too small.  In fact, Sam and I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working, so we just kept trying to FILL it.  We scrambled to reinvent and outfit rooms to be cozier, more welcoming, and we succeeded, but a simple problem remained: there are 8 rooms, and we can only be in one of them at a time.

Downsizing.
Welcome to the Los Angeles economic downturn, and the fact that our beloved home has depreciated in value by – are you sitting down – 26-28%.  To put this in perspective, in early 2005, I bought a decrepit 1926 Cape Cod style rat trap right out of a Stephen King novel, in the mid $500s.  Renovated electrical, siding, floors, double-paned windows, insulation, and central heat and air ($110K) later the house is as good as new, and never more beautiful. Now, it just happens to be worth around $450K.  When I bought the house with my ex, in 2005, we were fresh from a major real estate boon, and ready to flip a bigger house.  Well, it was the relationship that wound up getting flipped before we’d even unpacked any boxes.  Sam and I have vacillated for the past three years, wondering if we should stay or if we should go, but we were already on the backside of the bubble. We were too late. Read the rest of this entry »

Cody Hebden is a 23-year-old college graduate currently working as an insurance underwriter in Central Michigan. These are his words…

What if I told you to drop your cell phone insurance plan, and get a plan from an insurance company? What if I said it would only cost you $35/year with a ZERO dollar deductible and a brand NEW replacement.

Listening yet? Good. (Before I reveal this to you I just want to say that being honest goes beyond your individual ethics. I am here to save you money, but I am also here to suggest that low premium costs are the result of honest policyholders.)

The insurance companies that offer coverage through your cell phone provider are there for a reason, to replace your broken, damaged, lost, or stolen phone, and that is great. The only problem is you pay, say $7/month ($84/year) and if you do make a claim, they still charge you a deductible of say another $50. Just for fun, let us say they do not send you through the ringer by making you get a police report or tell you the phone is on back order for the next two months.

Now, the alternative. Read the rest of this entry »

Clint Osterholz is a comedian and young gay urban nomad who has lived in a number of cities in North America. He knows a thing or two from experience about how to move on a budget. We posted Part One and Part Two of this series recently and he’s back to share a few more ideas about making money after making the move to the big city. These are his words…

So! You’ve gotten yourself out of that little one-horse town (but you still remember to call Mom, right?) and you’ve even found yourself some new digs! Now, I’m sure you want to go out and club to your little homo heart’s content, but you do have something really important to take care of–income! You aren’t going to be able to flirt yourself those drinks for too long. Besides, it’s very trendy to be your own sugar daddy/momma these days. Hadn’t you heard?

Again, this is a series for those of us who don’t always have our heads screwed on straight when we move. I’m not assuming that you were able to easily secure a position through your former company in moving, although that’s certainly an option. But you knew to do that already, didn’t you? Surely you didn’t give up a job at The Gap or Starbucks or even Olive Garden without asking for a transfer! Even if you work in retail or food service, you can (and often will get) a transfer to the major city of your choice.

Let’s pretend you hate your half-caf lattes and distressed cotton hoodies and would prefer to leave them behind, however. What are you going to do in the city? Read the rest of this entry »

Guest writer Jonna Mastropasqua has ten years experience in Financial Aid administration. She received her M.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Arizona in 2006. She has been both a financial aid counselor, as well as the Director of the UofA’s LGBTQ Student Resource Center. Now a resident of North Carolina, Jonna enjoys gardening and spending time with her dogs. These are her words . . .

Federal law has set up a list of conditions that, once any single one is met, change a student’s classification (for Federal Aid purposes) from Dependent Student to Independent Student. The difference between the two classifications is important, as it can have a dramatic impact on your eligibility for financial aid.

Unless you are 24, married, have kids of your own, or you are active duty military or you are a veteran, generally you are considered a Dependent Student. This means you are required to report parental income, asset and household information on the FAFSA. These are the rules, and they are determined by Congress and not by your local Financial Aid Administrator (FAA). However, the FAA does have a small amount of power to make what is called a Professional Judgment (PJ) and grant you a Dependency Override. Basically, the FAA must determine (and document) that there is a compelling reason why your parents should not be expected to contribute to the cost of your education. Read the rest of this entry »