President Obama extended on Wednesday a wider range of benefits to the same-sex partners of eligible federal workers, including access to
medical treatment, relocation assistance, credit unions and fitness
centers.
The move goes beyond a memo Obama signed last June, which permitted same-sex partners to use the government’s
long-term-care insurance and other fringe benefits. It amounts to
another victory for gay-rights advocates who have pressured the White
House to extend greater rights to lesbian and gay Americans.
(The Office of Personnel Management said Tuesday that same-sex partners will become eligible for long-term-care insurance next month.)
Obama also ordered federal agencies last year to identify other benefits they could offer to same-sex partners. A review by the Office
of Personnel Management and Justice Department determined that at least
some agencies could also permit credit union and gym memberships and
access to counseling services, adoption counseling, and agency events
or outings.
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