Manatee Gays Strive for Equal Rights

SYLVIA LIM

Herald Staff Writer

Members of the Manatee County gay and lesbian community are paying close attention to national news regarding gay marriage and civil unions.

They say that they, too, want to see their commitment to their partners legally recognized.

This legal status would afford them all the rights and protections for their loved ones, including spousal benefits coverages, inheritance and hospital visitation rights.

Palmetto resident Rod Mansfield, 72, has been with his partner, Bob Halle, 60, for 32 years.

"We have a long, stable relationship," Mansfield said, "and we want the same rights as straight married people."

Halle and Mansfield have lived in the Palms of Manasota, a gay and lesbian retirement haven in Palmetto, since 2001.

A neighbor down the block, Roger Robinson, has been with his male partner for 41 years.

"If anything happens to me, I want my partner to have my Social Security," said Robinson, 62. "It's a form of discrimination.

"Look at the black and white marriages," he said referring to the bans on mixed marriages that once existed in some parts of the country.

Robinson's gay neighbor, Fred Hodges, can attest to that desire for equality.

Hodges' partner of 30 years had heart problems and has spent time in the hospital.

"I want to be considered as a family member to see my partner," said Hodges, 53.

A few doors away, nurse practitioner Mary Cuminsky, who is lesbian, is paying a steep health insurance premium every month.

Unemployed after surgery, Cuminsky is now trying to get back on her feet. But life would have been easier for her if she had been eligible for her partner's company-provided benefits.

"If I have a husband, I'd be under his plan," said Cuminsky, 62. "But I am not eligible for my partner's company benefits."

These men and women said they've been short-changed because of their sexual orientation.

"I don't think I'm asking for a lot," Cuminsky said. "We're just asking for what other people already have."

Mansfield hopes the furor over gay nuptials won't end up becoming a political football during this year's presidential campaign.

"I don't want to see it become a divisive issue politically," Mansfield said. "We would hate to see the issue become more prominent in the presidential elections or go to the constitutional stage."

The debate gained momentum when the Massachusetts Supreme Court gave the OK to same-sex couples tying the knot.

When the city of San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to lesbians and gays, more than 3,000 showed up to take advantage of the opportunity.

President Bush countered Tuesday by calling for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.

Florida has not been immune to the controversy.

A group of 175 gays and lesbians filed suit Wednesday in Broward County in a challenge to state laws prohibiting same-sex marriages.

"Why are people so concerned and afraid of a small group of people?" Robinson asked. "There are so many things happening like war or unemployment."

Like his other neighbors in the Palms, Robinson said there should be a line drawn between church and state when it comes to marriages.

"Marriage is a sacrament at church but not when you go get a license at the government office," Robinson said. "The whole thing just got off kilter."

Bradenton resident Bruce Fournier is a single gay man and an awareness educator at the Church of the Trinity on Lockwood Ridge Road. Fournier said the lack of equal rights shows a lack of compassion.

"It's a significant problem when they prohibit us to get married if I chose to," he said. "What's wrong with fair and equal commitment?"

Regardless of how the same-sex marriage issue pans out, Cuminsky said she is in a relationship for the long haul.

"The marriage thing is all semantics," Cuminsky said. "Most of us are in long-term relationships. It's a committed lifestyle, and we do deserve equal rights."

Mansfield has seen dramatic changes in the acceptance of gays and lesbians.

"Things are different from my perspective, I'm 72. I'm not against the movement, and I think it's long overdue," he said. "We haven't reached utopia yet, but we have come a long way."

Sylvia Lim, East Manatee reporter, can be reached at 782-5519 or slim@bradentonherald.com.

Wire services contributed to this report.

Linda Flading, 722-5858