Fort Myers – The state of Florida has officially recognized a same-sex couple for the first time… through a death certificate.
The Florida Department of Health Oct. 8 issued a death certificate that says Arlene Goldberg of Ft. Myers is the spouse of her deceased wife Carol Goldwasser. This is the first document issued by Florida recognizing the marriage of a same-sex couple.
Married in New York in October 2011, the couple had been together for 47 years before Goldwasser passed away in March 2014—the same day that the ACLU filed its lawsuit in Tallahassee challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
With Carol’s passing, Goldberg was unable to receive any social security survivor benefits, so Goldberg got into contact with the ACLU to add a complaint onto the lawsuit.
In August 2014, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle ruled the marriage ban unconstitutional. And even though Fla. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office appealed so there’s a stay on the ruling, the portion of pertaining to the couple’s death certificate was not covered by the stay.
In a press release, Goldberg called it “a bittersweet moment.”
“While I’m pleased that the state is finally recognizing that Carol and I shared a life together, it’s sad that she didn’t get to see it happen,” Goldberg said. “So, although it’s important that I am finally getting this piece of the resolution that I’ve been seeking ever since Carol passed away, I’m going to continue to fight to make sure that my marriage is fully recognized for all purposes and that no other couples have to be treated as legal strangers by the place they call home. I want to see love win in Florida, and I hope that that can be Carol’s legacy.”
A Florida court recognized the marriage of Jason Simpson Aug. 5, 2014 so that Simpson could be designated the personal representative of his late husband’s estate. Still, Goldwasser’s death certificate is the first time a state agency issued a document that acknowledges a same-sex marriage.
