Have you signed our petition to protect all military families?

May 29, 2012

Last week, Freedom to Marry and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network launched a petition asking Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which forces the U.S. military to treat gay and lesbian service members and their families differently than it treats all other married service members. It calls on Congress to end marriage discrimination against military families and is the focus of our Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry campaign. 

The petition launched alongside this powerful video that demonstrates how truly damaging DOMA can be for gay and lesbian service members and their families:

The launch video and petition mark the beginning of the Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry campaign, which will focus on the long list of federal benefits that gay and lesbian couples in the military are not eligible for. These benefits include shared health insurance and medical coverage, joint housing on military bases, military IDs, and surviving spouse benefits. 

The petition is part of Freedom to Marry's federal program, which works to repeal DOMA by showing government officials and opinion leaders why marriage matters. We are a leading member of the Respect for Marriage Coalition, a diverse group of 50+ organizations working to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, the bill that would repeal DOMA. The Respect for Marriage Act already has 32 cosponsors in the Senate and 144 in the House of Representatives.

By signing the Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry petition, you can support military families and tell Congress that marriage discrimination among same-sex military couples - and all same-sex couples - is wrong. 

Stand with Freedom to Marry and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network by signing the petition.