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Obama Mandates Same-Sex Visitation Rights
 President Obama sent out a memo yesterday that mandates nearly all hospitals extend visitation rights to LGBT partners and respect patients' choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them. The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation. The new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding, which covers the majority of hospitals and health-care institutions in the US. While the order was sent out yesterday, it could take the Department of Health and Human Services months for the new guidelines to become fully effective.
"Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness, when we need our loved ones with us more than ever," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in a statement.
The Obama administration has made several acts to benefit the LGBT community including supporting the passage of hate crime legislation, favoring the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and holding the first ever Gay Pride Day celebration at the White House. While some say that Obama isn’t doing enough or acting too slowly, you can’t argue that he has done more to support our community than has ever been done before.
Check out this compelling story from Anderson Cooper 360:
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