Studds’ Spouse Ineligible to Get Death Benefits
Former Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress, was married to another man in Massachusetts at the time of his death, but the federal government will not pay death benefits to his spouse.
Dean Hara, who married Studds in 2004 after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, will not be eligible to receive any portion of Studds’ estimated $114,337 annual pension because the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from recognizing Studds’ marriage.
Peter Graves, a spokesman for the Office of Personnel Management, said under federal law, pensions can be denied only to lawmakers’ same-sex partners and people convicted of espionage or treason.
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