DOMA Stories:
Federal Marriage Discrimination Hurts Families
The double standard created by DOMA causes tangible harm to families every day. As we prepare for the May 6 federal court hearing in our challenge to the discriminatory law, we share some of those stories.
In 1996, Congress passed and President Clinton signed the "Defense of Marriage Act." DOMA ensured that when states ended their own bans on same-sex couples marrying, the federal government would disregard their marital status for purposes of all 1,138 federal laws in which martial status is a factor. Never before in our nation's history has the federal government disrespected a class of marriages for all federal purposes; the federal government has long relied on states to define marriage.
In GLAD’s DOMA case Gill v OPM, we represent 8 couples and 3 widowers who are harmed in various ways by DOMA. But with over 1,000 marriage-related laws and programs, and with more and more same-sex couples getting married every day in the United States, DOMA hurts many more people than we can represent in a single lawsuit.
In these stories, loving couples, widows and widowers, from all walks of life, describe how DOMA hurts their families. A new story will be added each week, so please check back often.
DOMA Decision Dispatch: Plaintiffs Share Their Reactions
Gill v. Office of Personnel Management Plaintiffs
Two dads, two kids, two dogs and DOMA: Which one doesn’t belong?
Thorsten Behrens & Christopher Schiebel
