Achieving marriage equality for all Americans is a top priority for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and the first step toward that goal is to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA.
Passed in 1996, DOMA:
- enshrined into US law the discriminatory notion that marriage is only between a man and a woman
- said that states that don’t allow marriage equality don’t have to recognize same sex marriages from other states
- denies loving married couples over 1,000 legal rights and privileges that straight couples enjoy
On February 23, 2011, the Obama administration determined that Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional and announced they would not defend it in court.
This is a big step forward but in the meantime, the law remains on the books until Congress repeals it.
Please sign the petition and join Senator Gillibrand and Democracy for America in the fight to overturn this discriminatory policy.
Watch Kirsten advocate for marriage equality on MSNBC: