572 provisions of Pa. code now apply to all married couples

 Biff Viner and Thomas Krik of Philadelphia hold hands as they say their vows. (Bas Slabbers/for NewsWorks)

Biff Viner and Thomas Krik of Philadelphia hold hands as they say their vows. (Bas Slabbers/for NewsWorks)

Last month, when a federal judge struck down Pennsylvania’s gay marriage ban, same-sex couples became eligible for the rights and responsibilities accorded to married couples under the law.

Now a new report from the Mazzoni Center for LGBT Health identifies 572 provisions mentioning marriage in the Pennsylvania code.

When Mazzoni legal services department staff attorney Barrett Marshall began combing the Pennsylvania code for things that came with being a spouse or family, regulations about taxes and medical decision-making were the expectation. Marshall didn’t anticipate coming up with measures governing fishing licenses.

“Fishing licenses mention marriage. You know, things that you would not think that marriage had anything to do with,” Marshall said.

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Pennsylvania landowners who let others fish on their property can get their own fishing license at half price — or an immediate family member can get the license instead. So, gay spouses are now recognized under this and 571 other provisions of Pennsylvania law.

Marshall says the report, originally intended to be a tool for advocates to press for gay marriage in the state, now underscores how the court ruling will affect same-sex couples on a daily basis.

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