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Statement of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin on DOJ Not Defending the Defense of Marriage Act

Posted by: Lez Get Real on February 23, 2011.

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Melanie Nathan February 23, 2011

democratic openly lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin issued this statement today upon the news that the Department of Justice will refrain from defending two current cases which challenge the constitutionality of DOMA in the Courts.

“I welcome the news that the Department of Justice will not be defending the Defense of Marriage Act in two important cases in New England. This represents a real shift in Department of Justice policy and is one step toward the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Some people wonder what difference this makes. Today in the U.S., there are five states plus the District of Columbia that issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. That means there are thousands of same-sex couples across the U.S. with valid marriage licenses who are being discriminated against at the national level because of the Defense of Marriage Act.

So today, we have one small, but very significant, step in the ultimate effort to either see the Defense of Marriage Act repealed by an act of Congress or declared unconstitutional by a court in the United States. This is progress and I’m delighted with the Attorney General’s choice.”

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The Defense of Marriage Act denies to married same-sex couples hundreds of rights now enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. These include medical proxy; inheritance; tax benefits; employee benefits for families, such as health and life insurance, bereavement, sick leave, child rights and custodial protection, among many others.