Letter to Sandova Brian Sandoval, Governor of the State of Nevada - Same-Sex Veterans Couples Deserve Equal Burial Rights

Letter

Dear Governor Sandoval,

Last week on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, I spoke about a woman from Boise, Idaho, named Madelynn Taylor, a six year veteran of the United States Navy, who is being denied the right to be interred with her spouse, Jean, in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery because they are lesbians. Madelynn lost her spouse in 2012 and soon after began the task of making arrangements to ensure that the two of them would be together in death, as they were in life. Being a veteran, Madelynn herself has the right to be interred at a state or national veterans cemetery.

Like in Nevada, the closest national cemetery to Idaho is a considerable distance away, so Madelynn decided to inquire about a joint plot in a memorial wall at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in her hometown of Boise. Her request was denied by the State of Idaho Division of Veterans Services which manages the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, citing the Constitution of the State of Idaho, which does not recognize marriage equality.

Similarly to Idaho, the Constitution of the State of Nevada states, "Only a marriage between a male and female person shall be recognized and given effect in this state." It is because of that discriminatory language that I write today to request a clarification of the policies of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services and the cemeteries under their jurisdiction. Are legally married same sex couples eligible to be buried in the Southern and Northern Nevada Veterans Cemeteries? If not, I respectfully request that you alter this policy to allow same sex couple burials so all veterans can be interred with their legal spouses.

I thank you for your attention to this issue.

Sincerely,

Dina Titus
Member of Congress
Issues:
LGBT Rights
Veterans Issues
Congress Number:
113th Congress

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