(PNI) Dear Abby: I am a longtime reader. This is the first time I have ever written to you, and I’m hoping you will have an answer for me. I’d like to know the proper way to address a surviving gay spouse in the event of a death.
Is a gay man who has lost his husband a widower or a widow (seeing as he lost his husband and not a wife)? Is the title of the survivor dependent on his or her gender or the gender of the partner?
I’m only 29 and hope I won’t have to use this information for many years, but I’d like to know the proper terminology. For the record, I support gay marriage because I believe in love in all its forms.
– Hannah in Carrollton, Ga.
Dear Hannah: Regardless of sexual orientation, if a male loses his spouse, he is a widower, and if a woman loses her spouse, she is a widow. The terms don’t change because the union was a same-sex relationship.
Dear Abby: I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder many years ago. I started a combined therapy about a year ago — individual and a dialectical behavioral therapy group. Everything has been going great, and I have learned a lot about myself. The problem is, I have become very attracted to my therapist and, as a result, I feel it is interfering with my treatment.
Lately, my only interest in going to group or therapy is to see him and be in his presence. I also find myself canceling group if I know he won’t be there.
I am confused as to why I am having these feelings. Is it part of my bipolar disorder, or something else? Surely, this would be something I would bring up to my therapist,
This article originally appeared on: http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Features/2012-07-10-bcABBY-710_ST_U.htm