President Obama Endorses the Respect for Marriage Act

By Katie Garcia
Jul 19, 2011 at 01:32 pm

Today, the day before the first-ever hearings on repealing the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) are scheduled to occur, President Obama has announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act. The Respect for Marriage Act, a bill sponsored by Senator Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Nadar (D-NY), is the bill that would repeal the discriminatory DOMA that for fifteen years has denied same-sex couples the freedom to marry.

Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry, had this to say in reaction to today’s announcement:

“Freedom to Marry applauds President Obama’s strong endorsement of the Respect for Marriage Act and the repeal of so-called ‘DOMA.’ The federal government should not be picking and choosing which marriages it will honor and which it will disregard when it comes to the important federal protections that come with marriage, such as Social Security, health coverage, fair tax treatment, and immigration rights. Congress should follow the President’s lead and return the federal government to its traditional practice of honoring all lawful marriages equally—without the ‘gay exception’ of DOMA.”

To ask your member of Congress to follow the President’s lead and support the Respect for Marriage Act, click here.