D.C. lesbian activist champions cause of common law marriage

D.C. lesbian activist Jill Strachan says she and Jane Hoffman, her domestic partner of 30 years, had been advised by an attorney that their long-term committed relationship in which they jointly owned their apartment and shared powers of attorney provided a legal status to their relationship. But Strachan says the stress she experienced from the unexpected death of her partner at age 62 on Nov. 3, 2025, initially of an unknown cause, was greatly heightened when the D.C. Office of The Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) took possession of Hoffman’s body to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. When the cause was found to be a heart attack and aortic aneurysm, the OCME refused to release Hoffman’s body to the funeral home Strachan retained on grounds that Strachan was not a legal next of kin under D.C. law because the two women were not married and had not registered with the city as domestic partners.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.