A comprehensive guide to marriage-perks, consequences, and everything in between-aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, from a leading gay rights lawyer.

Not long ago, same-sex couples had to jump through endless hoops to make their relationships even close to legal. Happily, those days are over. But here's the rub: many gay and lesbian couples, accustomed to living off-grid, are so thrilled to have the benefits of marriage that they jump into it without fully considering the consequences.

In Before I Do, leading gay rights attorney Elizabeth F. Schwartz spells out the range of practical considerations any couple should address before tying the knot. She explains the rights married couples have-and those they do not. With cameos from some of the most prominent LGBTQ+ professionals, Schwartz explores all of the implications of marriage from name changes and getting a license to taxes, insurance, Social Security, and much more.

Chapters on estate planning, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and organizing finances make Before I Do a crucial handbook for anyone considering marriage-because, as Schwartz explains, just because you can get married does not mean you should.

"During my thirty years of covering the gay beat for the Miami Herald, never did I imagine the need for a marriage guide for LGBT couples. Yet today nothing is more urgent. Before I Do guides all couples, gay and otherwise, about the responsibilities of marriage. Ignore it at your peril." -Steve Rothaus, The Miami Herald

Author: Elizabeth F. Schwartz
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: New Press
Published: 10/04/2016
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.6lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781620971543


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/01/2016 pg. 125

About the Author
Elizabeth F. Schwartz has been practicing law since 1997 and is one of Florida s best known advocates for the legal rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Her practice focuses on family formation (adoption, insemination, and surrogacy), divorce, estate planning, and probate. Schwartz lives in Miami."