STATEMENT: CAP’s Winnie Stachelberg Applauds White House Endorsement of Respect for Marriage Act

July 19, 2011

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Contact: Christina DiPasquale
Phone: 202.481.8181
Email: cdipasquale@americanprogress.org

     Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress applauds the Obama administration’s endorsement today of the Respect for Marriage Act, or RMA, which would repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, and released the following statement from Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs at the Center for American Progress:

DOMA is a flagrantly discriminatory law that serves no good, rational, or useful purpose. It denies rights to gay couples and their families simply because of their sexual orientation. Passage of the RMA would represent a huge leap forward on the path toward full equality for same-sex couples in the United States. The administration’s support of the RMA is important and greatly welcomed.

The RMA would restore federal marriage benefits and protections for legally married same-sex couples and, in addition to repealing DOMA, would provide married same-sex couples with certainty that federal marriage benefits and protections would remain in place if a couple marries in a state where these marriages are legal but then moves or travels to a state where they are not currently legal or recognized.

National polls consistently show that a majority of the American people support allowing gay couples to marry.

To speak to CAP experts on this announcement, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org.

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