Each year same-sex couples and families must decipher ambiguous tax provisions when filing their tax returns. Many same-sex couples and families are denied benefits to which they are legally entitled because of this ambiguity and inconsistency in enforcement on the part of the IRS. Many newly-adoptive same-sex parents across the country receive contradictory and erroneous information from the IRS when applying for the adoption tax credit after a second parent adoption.

In order to achieve full equality for married same-sex couples and families, however, Congress must repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA mandates that the IRS discriminate against those couples by refusing to recognize same-sex spouses; the economic and emotional impact of this blanket discriminatory policy can be devastating, particularly for same-sex surviving spouses. HRC continues to push for the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would end DOMA’s discrimination and ensure that the federal government respects all lawfully-married couples. —staff