history with their legal challenge. jamelle thomas and korane williams have been together four years before they got married last year in october. don t let the wedding dresses fool you. their lives are not all satin and pearls. i m an airman in the united states air force reserve. and i m a police officer with the metropolitan police department here in d.c. which makes this couple a case study in how america s married but unequal approach to same-sex relationships can play out. as an airman, it s you get a constant reminder that, you know, you re second class. jamelle is a federal employee but the federal defense of marriage act bars same-sex marriage by the federal government which allows 1,000 separate benefits for spouses, everything from filing taxes and receiving death benefits to who gets called as next of kin. i had to list karane as my sister just so that someone would call her in the event, that you know, i m killed or missing in action or i m hurt on the job. s
and i m a police officer with the metropolitan police department here in d.c. which makes this couple a case study in how america s married but unequal approach to same-sex relationships can play out. as an airman, it s you get a constant reminder that, you know, you re second class. jamelle is a federal employee but the federal defense of marriage act bars recognition of same-sex marriage by the federal government which allows 1,000 separate benefits for spouses, everything from filing taxes and receiving death benefits to who gets called as next of kin. i had to list karane as my sister just so that someone would call her in the event, that, you know, i m killed or missing in action or i m hurt on the job. she can t be me emergency contact. she can t receive my remains. reporter: karane, on the other hand, of a district of columbia employee gets the
california s proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. the second case centers on the defense of marriage act which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. as the supreme court prepares to tackle that issue, same-sex couples across the country are watching. cnn s joe johns has a story of a couple, one couple in the d.c. area, who are hoping history will be made. reporter: the battle over same-sex marriage in california has been going on for years, and coming up this week it finally arrives at the u.s. supreme court. we talked to one of the couples involved in the case who, win or lose, have already assured themselves a small place in history with their legal challenge. jamelle thomas and korane williams had been together four years before they got married last year in october. don t let the wedding dresses fool you. their lives are not all satin and pearls. i m an airman in the united states air force reserve.
bans same-sex marriage. cnn justice correspondent joe johns is here with details. fred, the battle over same-sex marriage in california has been going on for years and coming up this week it finally arrives at the u.s. supreme court. we talk to one of the couples involved in the case who, win or lose, have already assured themselves a small place in history with their legal challenge. jamelle thomas and corraians williams had been together four years before they got married last october. their lives are not all satin and pearls. i m an airman in the united states air force reserves? i m a police officer with the metropolitan police department here in d.c. reporter: which makes this couple a case study in how america s married but unequal approach to same-sex relationships can play out. as an airman, you get a constant reminder that you re second class. reporter: jamelle is a