Same-sex couples can celebrate yet another victory in their long fight for equality. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will soon extend federal privileges to married same-sex couples, according to several news reports.
Under the new guidelines, same-sex spouses won't be compelled to testify against each other, will be eligible to file for bankruptcy together and will be entitled to the same rights and privileges when visiting family members in federal prisons. These new extensions are the latest ripple effect of the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in June of 2013.
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Holder will announce the policy change on Saturday night, and the guidelines will be officially issued on February 10, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Effectively, same-sex spouses will have the same rights in civil and criminal matters as their opposite-sex counterparts. These changes will apply across the country, even in states that don't recognize same-sex marriages.
"In every courthouse, in every proceeding and in every place where a member of the Department of Justice stands on behalf of the United States, they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections and rights as opposite-sex marriages," Holder said in prepared remarks to the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBT rights group, which is hosting an event in New York City on Saturday night.
The changes could be seen as small, but LGBT rights supporters see them as one more step toward full equality.
"While the immediate effect is that all gay married couples will be treated equally under the law, the long-term effects are more profound," Fred Saintz, vice president for communications at the Human Rights Campaign, told The Los Angeles Times. "Today, our nation moves closer toward its ideals of equality and fairness for all."
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