US County Separates Elderly Gay Couple, Sells Their Stuff
Clay Greene and Harold Scull, an elderly gay couple in Sonoma County, California, thought they had all their inheritance and legal paperwork sorted out. They couldn’t legally marry, but they had named each other in their wills, giving each other powers of attorney, and granted themselves control over medical decisions should something happen.
According to a lawsuit filed by Clay and the NCLR, things couldn’t have gone more wrong.
Tragically, Harold, aged 88, was hospitalized after falling on the front steps of the couple’s home. Not only was Clay (age 77) barred from seeing his partner of 20 years in the hospital because they weren’t legally family, but health workers forcibly placed the two in separate nursing homes. The County of Sonoma, deeming Harold incapable to care for himself and dismissing his relationship to Clay as “roommates,” seized and auctioned off the couple’s property and possessions. Harold died three months later, without Clay by his side. Clay is now without his partner, home, or any of the possessions that they had accumulated over their lifetime together.
Same-sex marriage is very, very important.
The case goes to court on July 16th.
- Greene v. County of Sonoma et al. [NCLR]
- Meet Harold and Clay [NCLR]
- Justice for Clay Greene and Harold of Sonoma County, CA [Facebook Group]
