Obama: Defense of Marriage Act 'Discriminatory'
Bonnie Goldstein
Woman Up Editor
Posted:
08/17/09
In the unlikely platform of a brief to defend the federal government, President Obama added a personal statement to a Justice Department filing Monday, calling the law it was defending unfair.
The case, Smelt v. United States, before the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, brought by a married, same-sex California couple, asks the federal government to treat them equally with respect to federal protections and benefits which have been denied under the 13-year-old Defense of Marriage Act. Despite the necessity to defend the federal statute as it currently stands on the books, Obama wrote: "My administration believes that the act is discriminatory and should be repealed by Congress. I have long held that DOMA prevents (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) couples from being granted equal rights and benefits." The complete filing is available here.
The case, Smelt v. United States, before the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, brought by a married, same-sex California couple, asks the federal government to treat them equally with respect to federal protections and benefits which have been denied under the 13-year-old Defense of Marriage Act. Despite the necessity to defend the federal statute as it currently stands on the books, Obama wrote: "My administration believes that the act is discriminatory and should be repealed by Congress. I have long held that DOMA prevents (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) couples from being granted equal rights and benefits." The complete filing is available here.