HRC Statement on Today’s GLAD DOMA Challenge Hearing

Same-sex Couples and Widowers Fight Discriminatory Federal Law

WASHINGTON – Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement today on the federal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management brought by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, which is being heard today in Federal District Court in Boston. GLAD is seeking summary judgment before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro on behalf of eight married same-sex couples and three widowers. Said Solmonese:

"DOMA continues to deny legally married same-sex couples and their families the same benefits, protections and respect every other married couple receives the day they marry. Six years ago, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to grant marriage equality under the groundbreaking Goodridge case brought by GLAD.

 "Today, GLAD is before a federal court to argue that there is simply no justification for excluding the thousands of couples and families who are now legally married in Massachusetts. These families – and so many others in Iowa, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, California and, most recently, the District of Columbia – are denied basic protections like social security benefits, family leave, home protections and pensions.
"While we continue to work at HRC to chip away at those obstacles, it is clear that whether through the courts or through Congress, DOMA stands in the way of allowing families the full protection and security they deserve."   
 
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.