Same-sex couples to receive family medical leave benefits

The United States Labor Department has updated the Family Medical Leave Act to cover same-sex couples, who can now take leave to care for newborns and children to whom they are not legally or biologically related.

Under the FMLA, employees of businesses with 50 or more employees are given up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to care for family members, a change that comes on the heels of Ohio's recent expansion of  sick leave and bereavement to unmarried state workers who have live-in partners.

Initial reactions have been mostly positive. "We know that family-friendly policies and laws like the FMLA aren’t “niceties” but rather necessities that contribute to the well-being of all families and a better bottom line for employers. No further interpretation of that is required," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis in a commentary for The Advocate last week.

While many have hailed the change as an important step forward for equality, some groups are less than thrilled.

Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values, a self-described "pro-family, grassroots" organization,  is contemplating legal action in response to the update in Ohio.

“CCV may be forced to bring a lawsuit against Governor Strickland and his agency for this attempt to undermine Ohio’s Marriage Protection Amendment," said the CCV in a statement released on their web site Monday.