Since 2015, when the Supreme Court decided in Obergefell v. Hodges that LGBTQ people could legally wed, the United States has been touting its commitment to marriage equality. When conservative legislators hinted at undoing marriage equality in 2022, the U.S. House and Senate even approved the Respect for Marriage Act, which then President Joe Biden signed into law. Though the bill fell short of codifying Obergefell v. Hodges, it forces states without marriage equality laws to recognize and respect LGBTQ marriage licenses signed in other states.

However, when considering the concept of marriage equality, there has been one population overlooked and excluded: disabled people. Patrice: The Movie, a “documentary rom-com” streaming on Hulu, takes up this problem, bringing a siloed issue to the forefront in a nation that believes the fight for marriage equality has already been won. But, as the documentary aims to explain, there’s no true marriage equality if disabled people are grossly penalized for falling in love.

Patrice follows a mixed-race disabled couple, Patrice and Garry, who desire to get married. But there’s one pesky problem: the marriage penalty. When disabled people who receive Social Security benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) get married, they are at risk of losing both their monetary benefit and their healthcare coverage, the latter of which is typically provided through Medicaid.

That’s the predicament Patrice and Garry find themselves in. Though they love one another, they are unable to live together or legalize their union or they will no longer have access to the critical lifelines of support that allow them to live independently. Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) doesn’t know how many disabled people lose their SSI benefits when they marry—they don’t keep track, an SSA spokesperson told NPR in 2024. 

Patrice’s desire to live on her own stems mostly from her upbringing: She came of age in the 1970s and ’80s when our understanding and societal inclusion of disabled people were vastly different. Patrice endured stigma for being intellectually disabled in school before she was placed in an accessible education setting that better suited her learning and social needs. As a young adult, she was institutionalized and was harmed by those responsible for her care in the facility. She then faced discrimination once out of the institution while trying to find employment to live on her own as a disabled adult.  

Despite the hurdles she’s faced, Patrice innately knew she had a right to create the life she envisioned for herself—and that she did. Though Patrice is unable to wed without significant risk, the film still spotlights how she has been able to build a supportive community. From her relationship with Garry and her friendships to her eclectic hobbies and her job as a crossing guard, the film fully humanizes Patrice without leaning into the stereotypes and tropes that often plague disabled people. That community steps in when Patrice needs to replace an essential lifeline—a modified van large enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

The average person may be unaware at how costly these modified vehicles are. Used vans, for instance, can cost as much as a modest luxury-brand car. Patrice’s struggle is familiar; as someone who was once on benefits, acquiring a car was out of my financial grasp. I didn’t want to take out a loan because of my limited financial means, and I knew that crowdfunding could jeopardize my benefits.

We see this conundrum when Patrice shares how fundraising efforts for her first van impacted her benefits. In order to acquire this new van, she has to use other means that allow her to purchase a replacement van without directly accessing the funds. Once again, Patrice, like many other disabled people, has to jump through unbelievable hoops to get the basic tools she needs to thrive in society. 

Currently, SSI limits how much a disabled person can have in savings and assets. Since 1989, the limit has been $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple, with an exception made for a single car and a single home. Not only should that number have increased to $10,000 for an individual and $17,000 for a couple to accommodate inflation, but it should also consider how expensive it is to provide in-home care for disabled people. 

“There’s anger, there’s a feeling of betrayal sometimes,” attorney Ayesha Elaine Lewis told NPR. Lewis is leading a national campaign to secure marriage equality for disabled people by ending this marital assets clause. “Because the [Americans with Disabilities Act] has a beautiful promise of full integration into society, of people with disabilities being able to live their destinies and make their life what they want of it. But with these rules still in place, it’s obvious that the full promise of the ADA hasn’t been implemented.”

At the end of the film, Patrice and her community raise enough money for the new wheelchair van. It was a beautiful ending that filled me with joy, especially now that I am on a journey to acquire my first set of wheels as a disabled adult who uses a wheelchair. Since I am several years removed from receiving benefits and I now have secure employment, I now have the financial ability to purchase a car and learn more about installing a wheelchair rack on the roof of the car I choose.

Financial freedom and the ability to take care of one’s needs or even purchase simple wants or luxuries of life shouldn’t feel out of grasp because one is receiving governmental assistance. We all deserve to be able to take care of ourselves and have the resources to do so without outdated strings attached.

It was refreshing to watch Patrice possess and display joy and wins while navigating antiquated systems that harshly impact the quality of life for disabled people. Often, storytelling surrounding disabled people can be heavily negative, and the light moments are downplayed or rarely seen; the documentary did a fair job in displaying the highs and lows with balance and nuance.  

Of course, since Patrice is a documentary rom-com, the ending is pleasant: Patrice and Garry are able to have a commitment ceremony during a protest to raise awareness about the fight for marriage equality for disabled people. Though they are unable to legally marry, Patrice and Garry still secure a “happily ever after” for themselves on their terms. From the beginning of the documentary until the end, Patrice is fighting for a better world for not just herself, but for all those impacted by the rules and regulations that intrude on aspects of our lives that should be our choice.

Patrice’s activism—from talking to legislators to demonstrating during the day of action for marriage equality—are a testament to her understanding that these issues are not isolated; marriage equality matters to the health and sustainability of the fabric of our society. Patrice: The Movie was captivating, led with so much care and intention, and showed us that the work to ensure that every American can live and marry whoever they want is a fundamental right, even for people with disabilities.