Antonio “Tony” Molina was legally married to his partner Bill Ert in Texas in October 1972, the first same-sex couple to do so in the state. The marriage caused an international sensation. After the state refused to recognize their marriage certificate, the Molina’s filed a lawsuit. The Molina’s lost their legal battle and Ert was threatened with jail time. The couple moved to Canada in 1973, and in 1974 Molina and Ert filed the paperwork with the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) to be recognized as a family unit in order to qualify for medical coverage under OHIP’S family plan. When Ert was hospitalized, OHIP refused to pay any medical expenses because they were both men, but the OHIP and the couple eventually reached a compromise.
| Names |
Tony Molina (Main)
BE [n74.126]
Antonio Molina (altName)
BE [“Antonio Molina – Grave Record,” Moose Roots, n.d., http://grave-records.mooseroots.com/l/6177514/Antonio-Molina-TX] |
|---|---|
| Related Pages | Tony Molina on LGLC |
| Birth Date | 1939/04/21 |
| Birth Place | Brownsville |
| Death Date | 1991/03/28 |
| Occupations |
Seaman (Navy)
Military
Lauren McGaughy, “Unlikely gay marriage pioneers tied knot in Houston,” Houston Chronicle, 28 November 2014, http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Unlikely-gay-marriage-pioneers-tied-knot-in-5923174.php |