When the government steps in…

An elderly unmarried couple tries to protect themselves by having wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives in place, naming each other. They lived together in a rented house for 20 years, one an 88-year-old in frail health, and the other, 77 years old in good health.

What happens when the county government gets its foot in the door because the 88-year-old fell and was taken to the hospital?

That's the saga reported at Bilerico that got my blood boiling.

Harold and Clay were a gay couple living in Sonoma County. When Harold was sent to the hospital because of a fall, the county and health care workers refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county placed the men in separate nursing homes, then auctioned off all of Harold and Clay's belongings and terminated their lease. There was no effort to separate the belongings of the two men — everything was deemed to be the property of Harold — and left Clay with nothing.

Three months later, Harold died.

The county is getting sued, and I fully support Mr. Clay Greene in his lawsuit.

I don't see this as a gay rights story. I see it as a human rights story.

Regardless of the absence of legal same-sex marriage in California, the fact is that this couple had their legal ducks lined up. Their wills, powers of attorney and medical directives should have been sufficient to afford Mr. Greene the right to look after his partner and keep his possessions away from government confiscation.

And somehow the county government refused to acknowledge these men's rights.

This can happen to anyone. A government that so willingly steps on the rights of some of its citizens will do it as well on others, given the right circumstance. Mr. Greene and his partner happened to be elderly, and therefore subject to more abuse than others might have been. This just makes the whole case even more egregious.

The government has no duty to protect nor to serve. This is amply illustrated in this case.

Sonoma County should be ashamed of itself.