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U.S. Navy veteran Madelynn Taylor’s request to be laid to rest with her wife has been denied by a Veterans Cemetery in Boise, Idaho.  The Division of Veterans Services has apparently denied access for her now-deceased wife’s ashes to be laid to rest in a shared plot.

The couple’s ashes would fit in one vault on the wall, and would not occupy more space than a single person’s remains.  It is typically a common practice for the spouse of an eligible service member to be buried in a veterans cemetery.  “It’s not taking up any more space to have both of us in there, and I don’t see where the ashes of a couple of old lesbians is going to hurt anybody,” she said.

A spokesperson with the Division of Veterans Services told KBOI they are forced to “abide by the Idaho state constitution” which only legally recognizes marriage between one man and one woman.

“I’m not surprised. I’ve been discriminated against for 70 years, and they might as well discriminate against me in death as well as life,” Taylor said.
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