In Washington today a groundbreaking moment for American civil rights occurred when the US supreme court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a statute signed in 1996 by then President Bill Clinton legally assigning the definition of marriage to mean only a legal union between a man and a woman as husband and wife – to be “unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.” Basically, the US Federal Government will no longer have position to overrule a state’s power to legislate for same-sex marriage.
The significance of ruling DOMA invalid extends far beyond the powerful ideological and moral implications; in addition to resetting the act of marriage as a fundamental right to all people – regardless of sexual preference – that must be protected under the law, same-sex couples can now be afforded the same tax breaks, social security benefits and healthcare advantages, criminal sanctions, copyright and veterans benefits that they were previously ineligible for under DOMA.
Following the Supreme Court ruling, President Obama said: “I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.
“I applaud the decision,” he said in the statement. “This was discrimination enshrined in law.”
Today Kevin Rudd was sworn in as the new Australian Prime Minister, becoming the first PM to have publicly declared support for same-sex marriage rights.
On May 19th Mr Rudd published a blog post stating: “I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognise same sex marriage. I also believe that this change should legally exempt religious institutions from any requirement to change their historic position and practice that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman. For me, this change in position has come about as a result of a lot of reflection, over a long period of time, including conversations with good people grappling with deep questions of life, sexuality and faith.”
If Kevin Rudd can put his money where his mouth is and proactively move toward affording gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual and intersex couples the dignity and justice of being able to have their relationships legally recognised without the Federal government stipulating otherwise and lives just as wonderful as any of the hetero central characters from the TV show Friends, then Australians too will have cause for celebration .
No matter who you are, you should be free to marry and divorce as many times as you want! #DOMA #EqualityForAll
— Ross Geller (@FunRossGeller) June 26, 2013
Via Swampland.
Image via via begayandbeproud.tumblr.com
