BREAKING NEWS: Repeal of DOMA introduced in Congress.
Equality Illinois is happy to announce the introduction in U.S. House of Representatives of the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill is being introduced this morning by Representative Jerrold Naddler (NY).
The bill would repeal the so-called “Defense” of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) and would ensure that valid marriages are respected under federal law. The bill is already co-sponsored by nearly 80 members of Congress. Equality Illinois applauds the sponsoring members of Congress for their leadership.
We are also proud to announce the support of Illinois Representatives to Congress. Representatives Luis Guttierez, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Mike Quigley, and Jan Schakowski are among the original co-sponsors of the bill.
I believe that the ill-intended Defense of Marriage Act defends nobody’s marriage. On the contrary, singling out gay and lesbian couples for discrimination only brings pain to tens of thousands of hardworking American families. The time to repeal DOMA is long overdue.
Please help us in our mission to achieve relationship recognition – join us now – we cannot do our work without your financial support. Later this week, we will also send out an action alert to help you discuss this issue with your representative in Congress.
Equality Illinois also signed an open letter to members of Congress, stating in part: “When DOMA was enacted, its harms were not yet fully appreciated because same-sex couples were not able to marry in any U.S. state. Since then, eight states and the District of Columbia have recognized equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, and thousands of couples have married.[1] Because of DOMA, the federal government does not honor their legal commitment and the needs of their families, even though these couples have assumed the obligations of civil marriage under state law and contribute as citizens and taxpayers.” The letter was co-signed by about 30 organizations, and can be viewed at our website.
Equality Illinois is working hard on the issues of marriage equality and relationship recognition, as part of its mission to achieve full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Illinois. But we cannot succeed in our work without your support. Please donate now to support our work.
I look forward to our shared successes.
Yours,
Bernard Cherkasov
Chief Executive Officer
Equality Illinois
Click Here to read the Joint Letter of Support
