You are a married gay couple on vacation in a state which banned gay marriage

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45. A Florida hospital blocked a lesbian from seeing her dying partner

Janice K. Langbehn (born September 22, 1968) is a gay American activist and social worker, who became an activist as a result of the events surrounding the death of her partner, Lisa Marie Pond (October 8, 1967 − February 19, 2007).
Janice K. Langbehn

In February 2007, Langbehn and Pond, along with three of their four children, were in Miami, FL to depart on a cruise. Pond collapsed before the cruise departed and was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's (JMH) Ryder Trauma Center. When Langbehn and their children arrived, a JMH social worker told Langbehn she was in an “anti-gay city and state” and required a health care proxy to see Pond. Langbehn had a power of attorney (POA) which was faxed to the hospital within an hour of Pond’s arrival. However, Langbehn and their 3 young children were kept from Pond’s side for eight hours. Pond slipped into a coma from a brain aneurysm and died without her partner of 18 years or her children by her side.

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Langbehn continued to speak on the topic of hospital visitation and equality for all Americans. Langbehn spoke publicly about her partner's death for the first time at an Olympia, WA Pride gathering on June 18, 2007, just four months after Pond’s death. Langbehn continued to speak out, despite the outcome of her lawsuit. Langbehn’s perseverance caught the attention of the New York Times writer Tara Parker-Pope.[5] As a result of the article, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel brought the article to the attention of President Barack Obama. On April 15, 2010, President Obama called Langbehn from Air Force One to apologize for the treatment her family received at Jackson Memorial Hospital and to inform her about the Presidential Memorandum he signed earlier that day. President Obama’s Memorandum[6] directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius to create a rule allowing hospital visitations for same-sex couples comparable to those of married and opposite sex couples. Following Langbehn’s phone call with President Obama, she spoke live to CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper on the show Anderson Cooper 360°.[7]

On June 22, 2010, Langbehn and her three children met with Secretary Sebelius and then attended a gay pride reception at the White House. Prior to the reception, President Obama met with Langbehn and the children to again offer his apology. While speaking at the reception, President Obama described the struggles the Langbehn-Pond family faced and the impact of his memorandum. The President said, "Just a few moments ago, I met with Janice Langbehn and her children... And when Janice's partner of 18 years, Lisa, suddenly collapsed because of an aneurysm, Janice and the couple's three kids were denied the chance to comfort their partner and their mom -- barred from Lisa's bedside. It was wrong. It was cruel. And in part because of their story, I instructed my Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, to make sure that any hospital that's participating in Medicare or Medicaid -- that means most hospitals -- (laughter) -- allow gay and lesbian partners the same privileges and visitation rights as straight partners”.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janice_Langbehn