Bill to Repeal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) Introduced

From the Advocate:

Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York -- flanked by out representatives Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jared Polis of Colorado as well as a wide swath of LGBT advocacy groups -- held a press conference Tuesday to announce the introduction of the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would fully repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

“Today, we celebrate the first step toward overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and sending that ugly law into the history books where it belongs," said Nadler, adding that the new RMA bill has 91 original cosponsors.

Nadler later read a statement from former president Bill Clinton thanking representatives Nadler, Baldwin, Polis, John Conyers of Michigan, John Lewis of Georgia, Nydia Velazquez of New York, and Barbara Lee of California for introducing the legislation. Clinton signed DOMA into law in 1996.

“Throughout my life I have opposed discrimination of any kind," Clinton said in the statement. "When the Defense of Marriage Act was passed, gay couples could not marry anywhere in the United States or the world for that matter. Thirteen years later, the fabric of our country has changed, and so should this policy.”

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