The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was defeated in a 5-4 vote today by the US Supreme Court, and that decision is being celebrated by the Transgender Law Center. DOMA bars the federal government from recognizing marriages of same-sex couples.
The Supreme Court also declined to rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. The court’s decision to decline a Prop 8 decision means the ruling from federal District Court Judge Vaughn Walker will remain in place. Walker determined that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
Speaking about the court’s decisions, Masen Davis, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center, revealed:
“While our community faces many other significant challenges, marriage equality is an issue that affects many transgender people in this country. It’s good for all of us when the government gets out of the business of using gender to decide who gets access to certain benefits. This is a tremendous victory for the entire LGBT community. We urge the state of California to act quickly to allow same-sex couples to marry again.”
Ilona Turner, Transgender Law Center’s Legal Director, added:
“The Court should be applauded for doing the right thing in holding the so-called Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. That shamefully discriminatory law has for far too long marked same-sex couples as second-class citizens.”
She added:
“Transgender people who are in marriages that may be legally considered ‘same-sex’ can now be confident that their marriages will receive the full respect and recognition they are entitled to from the federal government.” Frequently, whether a transgender person’s marriage is recognized as valid depends on what state they live in, what medical procedures they’ve undergone, and whether or not an employer or insurer challenges their marriage’s validity.
The Transgender Law Center has joined various other civil rights organizations in submitting friend-of-the-court briefs in both cases.
Are you happy with the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act?