A disabled Navy veteran denied government benefits is preparing to file a lawsuit challenging two federal laws defining marriage as between members of the opposite sex. Connecticut resident and former sailor Carmen Cardona recently applied for an increase to her monthly disability compensation after getting married last year. But her application was rejected on the grounds she is married to a woman, not “a person of the opposite sex,” as called for under federal law. Cardona is believed to be the first person to challenge federal anti-LGBT marriage statutes through the veterans court of appeals.