It’s official — the Respect for Marriage Act has been introduced and now it’s time to repeal the discriminatory “Defense of Marriage Act.” Go to www.RepealDOMAnow.org and tell your member of Congress to join on as a co-sponsor.
Suggested letter to our Congress members by the Courage Campaign:
On Tuesday morning, September 15, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced the Respect Marriage Act in Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. I applaud this as a step forward and as a constituent I request that you co-sponsor the bill, but I continue to demand full equality.
Like all other Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are guaranteed equal protection by the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. But Congress chose to ignore that provision and passed DOMA anyway. Free and equal people do not settle for fractions of equality.
Equal rights are not a “gay” issue. They are about our shared human rights: safety in our schools and jobs, equitable health-care and housing, and protection for our families, to name a few.
DOMA unfairly singles out legally married same-sex couples for inequitable treatment, denying those couples the federal protections and responsibilities that otherwise apply to married couples.
It is time we ended this injustice and began the process of providing full federal equality to all Americans. I urge you to add your name as a sponsor to the Respect Marriage Act today.
Per HRC:
Through DOMA, which was signed into law 13 years ago, on 9/21/96, the federal government singles out legally married same-sex couples for discriminatory treatment under federal law, selectively denying them more than 1,100 federal protections and responsibilities – including Social Security and immigration benefits – that otherwise apply to married couples. This policy is discriminatory and harmful to families, preventing the government from honoring its legal commitments and the needs of families, even though these couples have assumed the obligations of civil marriage under state law and contribute as citizens and taxpayers.
Per Fox News:
Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia: “Over a decade later, traditional marriage – a principle tenant in our Judeo-Christian values – is under assault more than ever before,” he continued. “This is why I was extremely disappointed to see my liberal colleagues introduce legislation today to repeal the bipartisan Defense of Marriage Act.”
The Respect for Marriage Act, unveiled by Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Jared Polis, D-Colo, has the support of more than 90 lawmakers.
The legislation would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law signed by President Bill Clinton.
This is the “first step to overturning DOMA,” Nadler said, who called the law (DOMA) “irrational and hateful.”
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Wow – is this really going to happen? I’m dizzy…
OMG!!! I hope for the best 😀
My fingers are crossed and my knees
are knocking…
Beside y’all through it all!!!
LOVE AND HUGS!!!!!!!
Laurie
I sure hope it will happen MakingSpace! At least it is not on the cutting room floor anymore.
Thank you Laurie! My fingers are crossed also! I am aware that it will face a fight as strong as the one that stripped marriage rights from CA., but we have to keep trying and keep hoping!
Luvs and {HUGS}!!!
I’m crossing my fingers, too. I’m not gay, but I am ashamed that our country has enacted laws like DOMA. I hope our government has the balls to pass this.
Thank you D.M.! And thank you for being a straight ally! I hope so too!