Tag Archives: Respect for Marriage Act

Institutionalized discrimination by Uncle Sam against the LGBT community is no more, says a federal court in Boston. The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law that specifically denies federal marriage benefits to gay couples regardless of whether they are legally married in their state, is unconstitutional. Opponents of the law, including the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), had argued that the federal government had never before interfered with …

As marriage equality spreads across the nation in fits and starts, LGBT couples are slowly gaining access to the rights and privileges their straight counterparts enjoy, including divorce. But how can spouses get a divorce if they reside in a state that doesn’t recognize their marriage to begin with? Maryland will grant LGBT divorces, but other states without gay marriage won’t Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act wouldn’t resolve recognition problem LGBT spouses living in states that don’t recognize gay …