Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Victory: Obama stops defending DOMA!



Dear James,
Administration Drops Defense of DOMA
Thank the President for standing up for same-sex couples and their families.
In a rare and extraordinary step, today the Obama Administration announced that it will stop defending the discriminatory federal "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) in court – specifically, the section that denies federal benefits to married same-sex couples.
DOMA keeps these couples from getting family and medical leave, Social Security survivors' benefits, joint tax filing, and immigration rights, among many other benefits.
You helped bring about this historic day. HRC supporters like you have written tens of thousands of letters to President Obama, shared thousands of personal stories of how DOMA has hurt their families, and helped HRC engage in years of advocacy on this issue with the administration.
As President Obama himself has said, DOMA unfairly discriminates against Americans. He needs to know how many people applaud his decision to defend the principles of the constitution.
The Obama Administration has dealt a double blow to DOMA today. Not only has it stopped defending this law (which the president has long called discriminatory), it has affirmed that any law that discriminates based on sexual orientation should have to pass a higher legal test in court.
This is a monumental decision for thousands of same-sex couples and their families.
Unfortunately, anti-LGBT leaders in Congress may have a chance to defend the law themselves, so it's not the end of the road for DOMA.
But together, we'll fight any attempt to waste taxpayer dollars defending this patently unconstitutional law. The federal government has no business picking and choosing which legal marriages they want to recognize.
Thank you for all your hard work on this issue, and for your continued commitment to building a nation where all are equal.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President


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Children should't be subject to life long medical choices

Very interesting statement, which I'm sure the #transinc community will claim to be Transphobic.. in natural. There is nothing bias ...