Blumenauer asks others in Congress to help repeal the Defense of Marriage Act

9/16/09-by Paula Brooks 300px-EarlBlumenauer

In an article on the Huffington Post, longtime Oregon Congressman, Earl Blumenauer, has said he made a huge mistake in 1996 when he cast his vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Calling his vote the “worst vote of my political career,” Blumenauer says he knew it to be poor public policy and was against his values, but thought “it would somehow take the steam out of the Newt Gingrich-Tom Delay Congress,” who were using the LGBT community as a wedge issue to mobilize their conservative base.

In his post, Blumenauer apologized for his “ultimate arrogance” in “making political calculations on the basis of other people’s civil rights and identity as human beings.” He also called upon other in congress also voting with him on DOMA to join him in support of a bill that would repeal the act.

That bill was introduced yesterday by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, with Blumenauer as one of its co-sponsors.

“I will work to make sure that my colleagues who once, for whatever reason, joined me in supporting this ill-advised measure take this opportunity to correct their record and eliminate an injustice,” said Blumenauer.