Adult Adoption and Same-Sex Couples: Legal Issues After Death
What happens when a same-sex partner who used adult adoption as a pre-Obergefell legal protection dies — survivor benefits, estate, and probate complications.
Blog
All articles about When Your Same-Sex Partner Dies.
Alternatives to Grief Counseling for LGBTQ+ Bereavement
What to use instead of — or alongside — grief counseling when you've lost a same-sex partner and need practical, LGBTQ-specific bereavement support, not just talk therapy.
Anniversary Grief and Holidays After Your Same-Sex Partner Dies
How to navigate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays after your same-sex partner dies — with practical strategies for the days that hit hardest.
Bereavement Leave Same Sex Partner
Can your employer deny bereavement leave when your same-sex partner dies? Here's what workplace policies actually cover, how to request time off, and your legal options.
Best Bereavement Resource When Your Transgender Partner Dies
How to find bereavement support that addresses identity protection, deadnaming prevention, and the grief of losing a transgender partner — not just generic loss.
Best Bereavement Toolkit for Unmarried Same-Sex Partners Facing Hostile Family
The bereavement resource to reach for when you weren't married, your partner's family doesn't accept you, and the legal system treats you as a stranger to the person you loved.
COBRA and Health Insurance After Your Same-Sex Partner Dies
How to keep health insurance coverage after your same-sex partner dies, including COBRA election, marketplace options, and life insurance claims.
Coming Out Through Grief: When Your Partner's Death Forces Disclosure
What happens when losing your same-sex partner forces you to come out — at work, to family, or publicly — and how to navigate involuntary disclosure while grieving.
Complicated Grief and Prolonged Grief Disorder in LGBTQ+ Bereavement
How to recognize prolonged grief disorder after your same-sex partner dies, why LGBTQ+ survivors face higher risk, and when to seek clinical help.
Continuing Bonds with Your Same-Sex Partner After Death
How to maintain a meaningful connection with your same-sex partner after they die — through rituals, objects, and intentional practices that honor your relationship.
Deadnaming After Death Transgender
How to prevent deadnaming and misgendering after a transgender partner dies — protecting their identity on death certificates, obituaries, and funeral arrangements.
Guilt, Anger, and Relief After Your Same-Sex Partner Dies
Why you might feel guilt, anger, or even relief after your same-sex partner dies — and why all of it is a normal part of grief.
How to Protect Custody Rights When Your Same-Sex Co-Parent Dies
What to do immediately to protect your parental rights when your same-sex partner dies and you're not the biological or legal parent — evidence, timelines, and legal strategy.
How to Tell People Your Same Sex Partner Died
Scripts and strategies for telling family, friends, coworkers, and institutions that your same-sex partner died — including when you're not fully out.
How to Find an LGBTQ-Affirming Grief Counselor
Where to find a queer-affirming grief therapist, what to ask in the first session, and how to tell if a counselor actually understands LGBTQ+ loss.
LGBTQ Bereavement Legal Organizations and Resources
Key legal organizations that help LGBTQ+ survivors after a partner's death — Lambda Legal, SAGE, NCLR, and other resources for benefits, estate, and family disputes.
LGBTQ Grief Journals and Worksheets for Processing Partner Loss
Grief journals and worksheets designed for LGBTQ+ partner loss — not generic templates that ignore your relationship or assume a supportive family.
Pension and Retirement Benefits for Same-Sex Surviving Spouses
How same-sex surviving spouses claim pension, 401(k), IRA, and veteran survivor benefits after their partner dies.
Queer Grief and Loss
Queer grief carries unique weight — disenfranchised mourning, minority stress, and grief that the world doesn't fully recognize. Here's what makes it different and where to find real support.
Returning to Work After Your Same-Sex Partner Dies
How to navigate going back to work after your same-sex partner dies — from bereavement leave policies to managing disclosure and grief at work.
Same-Sex Bereavement Guide vs Estate Attorney: What You Actually Need After Your Partner Dies
Comparing a same-sex bereavement toolkit against hiring an estate attorney — what each covers, what each costs, and when you need both.
Advance Care Planning for Same-Sex Couples
Why same-sex couples need advance care documents even after marriage equality, and exactly which forms to complete to protect each other.
Same Sex Estate Planning
Estate planning for same-sex couples covers wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, and the documents that keep your partner from being shut out.
Same Sex Partner Death Financial Checklist
A financial checklist for after your same-sex partner dies — joint accounts, taxes, insurance, estate taxes, and the steps to secure your finances.
Same Sex Partner Died Hostile Family
When your partner's biological family turns hostile after their death — taking belongings, controlling the funeral, or locking you out. How to protect yourself.
Same Sex Partner Died No Will
When your same-sex partner dies without a will, intestacy laws can shut you out entirely. Here's what happens to the estate and how to protect yourself.
Same Sex Partner Died Property Rights
Housing and property rights after your same-sex partner dies — lease succession, eviction protection, and what Braschi v. Stahl means for surviving partners.
Same Sex Partner Died What Now
Your same-sex partner just died and you don't know where to start. Here's what to do in the first 72 hours — legal steps, documents, and how to protect yourself.
Social Security Survivor Benefits Same Sex Partner
Same-sex partners may qualify for Social Security survivor benefits even if married less than 9 months. Here's how Ely v. Saul and Thornton changed the rules.
What to Say When Someone's Same Sex Partner Dies
How to support a friend, colleague, or family member whose same-sex partner died — what to say, what to avoid, and practical ways to actually help.