What is DOMA? Its the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, is an act that gives states the right to not recognize same-sex marriages performed out of their jurisdiction. Basically, if Sally and Jenny were married in New York and moved to Michigan, their marriage would not be seen or treated as a marriage. Sucks right?
I've been following DOMA for quite some time waiting for its destruct and though it still stands tall it now has Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in ranks to help end it all. Rep. of Florida announced Friday that she would cosponsor a bill to repeal federal law, becoming the first Republican to do so.
“I voted against the constitutional amendment defining marriage [in 2006] so I’m pleased to cosponsor the repeal of DOMA and work with my colleagues on marriage equality,” said Ros-Lehtinen, who represents Florida’s 18th district.
Though the South Florida representative has a long history of voting in favor of LGBT rights, her decision to join 124 House Democrats in cosponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act nevertheless is a bold move, given the Republican House leadership’s defense of DOMA in multiple legal challenges after the Obama administration announced in February it would no longer defend the law.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, original sponsor of the House DOMA repeal bill, called Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, “a tremendous ally in the world’s struggles for freedom and against oppression and discrimination.”
“She is widely recognized as a champion of human rights and human dignity,” Nadler said. “And her support reminds us that the march to repeal the discriminatory DOMA is not a partisan issue. ... The drive to end DOMA is — and must be — a collective, nonpartisan effort that unites Americans behind a simple push for equality.”
Ros-Lehtinen’s announcement comes just days after the historic end to “don’t ask, don’t tell” — which she also voted to repeal.
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