Single or partnered, 16 or 60, legal con-sequences of life — and death — will eventually find a way into our lives, especially as non-heterosexuals. Business agreements, wills, powers of attorney and domestic partnerships matter much more to us than to our straight counterparts for many obvious — and unfortunate — reasons: not only as precautionary preparation for unfortunate events, but also protection from an uneven legal system that has only recently begun dipping its foot in LGBT issues.
We’ve heard the stories before. A person unable to visit his partner in the hospital, or inherit her partner’s estate. Businesses that hire openly but fire with discrimination. The possessions of an estranged son or daughter returning to the very family that opposed him or her. Or, simply, the wishes of a person not being followed. They are all issues that need to be addressed — if not by our government, then by us.
Fortunately, city, state and federal governments are slowly dissolving the barriers to equal protection under the law with things like the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act and more expansive rights for couples. But we’ve still got a while to go, so having our legal documentation in order is important.
Legal Out (www.legalout.com) is a newly launched Atlanta-based Web site that allows users to prepare legal documents online. Falling under one of four categories — healthcare, financial and property, family and children and business — users can create anything from a living will to a power of attorney to an employee agreement without leaving the computer. And if the legal reading isn’t enough, the site also has a gay news feed, recommended book list, lawyer search and links to other helpful resources.
Creating your first document is free; additional documents require membership to the site, which allows one to create and manage documents, store them safely, make changes and sign them electronically. The site walks users through the necessary questions and answers needed to formulate documents, and offers advice and resources for those of us who need explanations in plain English.
I’ve always been hesitant to actually sit down with a lawyer and draft something like a hospital-visitation authorization or living will, whether due to the costs or time or gloominess involved. But nobody can speak for us but us. I have views about issues such as healthcare directives and inheritance that I would want followed, and the only way to ensure that is to have the proper legal documents. It’ll certainly save my partner, friends and family a lot of stress.
Morbid thoughts aside, having documentation prepared does more than just ensure our future and that of those close to us. It shows everyone around us that we’re being smart and taking our lives into our own hands, whether the state supports us or not. We want our partners to be able to see us in the hospital. We want our loved ones, blood or not, to receive our possessions. And we want our wishes honored. Hopefully, over time, we’ll have the same rights as any other single or couple. Until then, it’s nice to know we’ve got support on the Web.
Contact Jason with feedback at [email protected].