Unlike plenty of spaces in American life, women’s games are one place where you can see couples of every variety on the kiss cam, with the crowd cheering enthusiastically. There are gay icons on the field, ice and court, and some of them even dating each other.
Unlike the men’s version of the games, women’s sports are by their very nature inclusive. Rainbows aren’t limited to June.
It’s been a decade since LGBTQ+ couples have been able to formally merge their lives and assets, and with athletes like Breanna Stewart making real WNBA money and raising a family in the public eye, we checked in with Ellevest to see what advice the financial firm has for couples of every definition.
The first big question is: What’s the label you want to put on your relationship?
There is marriage and domestic partnership, which both offer some legal protections. But if you don’t want to make anything official, there are still ways to safeguard assets and financial security.
Marriage helps same-sex couples the way it has always helped different-sex couples, with tax and health-care benefits, and inheritance laws. But even if marriage isn’t the right institution for your relationships, you can have a Registered Domestic Partner, which can get some of the same benefits.
Then, when you’re ready to expand your partnership, “family planning is financial planning” according to Ellevest because there is a cost associated with starting one. IVF, adoption and surrogacy all have a price tag, and it can cost $300,000 to get your child from diapers to college on average.
There is a lot of space for defining ourselves and our families, but it just might take a little more preparation to make sure that the future is all sunshine and, you know it, rainbows.
