In December 2009, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper was killed when he was struck by an out of control vehicle while working in Eureka, Missouri. An honored officer, the trooper was a gay man and had been with his male partner for 15 years. This tragic story was made even worse by the fact that the State of Missouri refused to provide the fallen officer’s life partner with any benefits. In fact, the state issued a public statement that the trooper was “single” and as a result, no benefits were issued. Heterosexual or “straight”, married couples are provided benefits if a trooper/police officer is killed in the line of duty. The organization Backstoppers assists with providing benefits to spouses and families of fallen officers. But not to gay and lesbian partners. This fallen officer’s husband issued the following statement:
“Dennis and I loved each other and lived in a committed relationship for 15 years. We depended on each other emotionally and financially in our life together like any other committed couple. We exchanged rings and would have married in Missouri if the state didn’t exclude us from marriage,” said Glossip when the case was filed. “I’m just seeking the same financial protections the state provides to heterosexual couples. It is hard enough coping with the grief of losing Dennis. It is even more painful to have the state treat Dennis and me as though we were total strangers.”
In December 2010, state officials dedicated a portion of Interstate 44 to honor the fallen officer. This gesture is a seemingly nice way to honor the officer for his public service but it is still a slap in the face to his life partner. What if the couple had been heterosexual – not married but together for 15 years? Would benefits have been provided to the life partner in that situation? In this case, the officer’s partner created a video with ACLU recently, below.

The denial of death benefits is not the only way that gay and lesbian Missourians are discriminated against in Missouri. Take a car accident for example. Assume the driver is seriously injured – requiring the constand care of her live-in partner. What if the injured individual was gay or lesbian? In Missouri and in Illinois, a spouse is able to recover for “loss of consortium”, or loss of support and love. If the spouse provided care, sometimes the person can even recover for that as it saved the cost of a home nurse. What if the person is gay or lesbian, does the State of Missouri provide for injury benefits for that individual’s partner? It is certainly something that is up in the air. As a Missouri and Illinois car accident lawyer, I see people seriously injured as a result of car and truck accidents all the time. I help spouses obtain benefits for the loss or injury to their husbands and wives. I also understand the struggles faced by gays and lesbians and I am willing to fight for the rights of such spouses too – gay or straight.