Tell Congress to Support the Respect for Marriage Act

It’s official — the Respect for Marriage Act has been introduced and now it’s time to repeal the discriminatory “Defense of Marriage Act.”

Go to www.RepealDOMAnow.org and tell your member of Congress to join on as a co-sponsor.

Crossposted via Burning Or Building Bridges in the Community.

AG Richard Blumenthal Urged To Defend State Law: Marriage Equality

Massachusetts became the 1st state to sue the U.S. government on July 8, 2009 over the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denies married same-sex couples all 1,138 federal marriage benefits. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley contends in the lawsuit that DOMA “constitutes an overreaching and discriminatory federal law.” You can view the full complaint here.

Marriage Equality has also been the law of the land in Connecticut since November 12, 2008. The Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, states prominently on his website, “As the public’s lawyer, I am here to defend state laws.” Since marriage equality is indeed the law in Connecticut, we strongly urge Attorney General Blumenthal to follow Massachusetts’ lead and stand up for the citizens and laws of his state by filing a lawsuit against the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

In addition to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal having a duty to defend state law, defending marriage equality just so happens to be the politically expedient thing to do as well. The majority of Connecticut citizens support marriage equality and those numbers continue to grow.

Actions to take during August 10th-14th:

Call: (860)-808-5318 & Fax: (860)-808-5387

Email: attorney.general@po.state.ct.us

The Attorney General’s office is located at 55 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. Feel free to stop by in person and relay your message urging Blumenthal to file a suit against DOMA.

http://defendthelaw.org/

Bill Clinton Comes Out in Favor of Gay Marriage

Former President Bill Clinton who signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law which bars federal recognition of same-sex couples has come out in favor of marriage equality. He has been considering and "evolving" on the issue for some time.

"After speaking at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington, DC, on July 8, the former president was asked if he supported same-sex marriage. Clinton, in a departure from past statements, replied in the affirmative.

Asked if he personally supported same-sex marriage, Clinton replied, "Yeah." "I personally support people doing what they want to do," Clinton said. "I think it's wrong for someone to stop someone else from doing that [same-sex marriage]" (The Nation).

This statement is a major kick to the already unstable legislation. Growing numbers of democrats and even republicans are coming out in support of repealing DOMA.