Poll: 63% of Americans oppose DOMA’s marriage discrimination

new poll (PDF), released last week from ABC News and The Washington Post, found that a large majority of Americans oppose the marriage discrimination caused by the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal respect for legal marriages between same-sex couples. Thousands of couples nationwide - including Daniel and Yohandel, who married in Washington, D.C. and now face the risk of being separatedbecause DOMA does not allow Yohandel to sponsor Daniel for immigration purposes - need to see DOMA repealed to have their marriages respected. 

The poll demonstrates that 63% of respondents said they support "giving same-sex couples federal benefits," with just 34% saying they oppose this. Among those supportive are 74% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 42% of Republicans. Even among respondents over the age of 65, 46% agree that married same-sex couples should receive the same federal protections of marriage that different-sex couples receive. 

This month, the United States Supreme Court will announce its ruling in Windsor v. United States, which challenges the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. If the Court overturns DOMA, legally married same-sex couples living in states with the freedom to marry will have access to those federal protections referenced in the poll. 

Learn more about DOMA here, and see more recent polling on the freedom to marry here.   

Photo: Joanna Chau