Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, announced that the Respect for Marriage Act – his legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – now has an unprecedented 122 cosponsors.  With support from Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Tim Walz (D-MN), the bill has surpassed last congress’s total of 120 cosponsors.  This momentum follows on the heels of President Obama’s endorsement of the legislation in July, and the first ever legislative hearing for the bill the same month.

“As the march toward full equality for LGBT Americans is seeing some real, concrete progress, the movement to repeal DOMA is steadily growing stronger and more robust,” said Nadler.  “The coalition working for LGBT rights in the Congress and the nation as a whole is larger than ever before, and we gain new allies every day.  And, just this year, New York State enacted marriage equality, hammering one more nail into the coffin of bigotry and discrimination against gays and lesbians.  Dumping DOMA is simply not a question of if but when.”

“When I supported non-discrimination legislation in the Rhode Island legislature many years ago, I remember my father talking of his belief that one day our nation would look back in disbelief at a time when we denied our fellow citizens basic civil rights based on their sexual orientation,” said Langevin.  “I now believe that day is within our reach, and I’m honored to be a supporter of this bill.”

“Getting married to my wife Gwen and building our life together was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Walz.  “I simply cannot imagine why we would want to ban our fellow Americans from that commitment.  Martin Luther King Jr. once said ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’  I believe that arc is getting shorter and I look forward to a day in my lifetime when Americans are not discriminated on based on who they love.”

“Freedom to Marry is proud to be working with Rep. Nadler and the team of Representatives and Senators leading the charge to make sure that loving, committed, legally married same-sex couples can share in the critical safety-net of responsibilities and protections that DOMA currently denies them,” said Jo Deutsch, Federal Director of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide.  “The growing support in the House reflects the rapidly growing public support for the freedom to marry.”

Nadler introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in March, along with Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), David Cicilline (D-RI), and John Conyers (D-MI), as well as the Democratic Leadership of the House.  Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) also introduced a companion bill in the Senate. 

The legislation would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law that discriminates against lawfully married gay and lesbian couples.  The 15-year-old DOMA singles out legally married gay and lesbian couples for discriminatory treatment under federal law, selectively denying them critical federal responsibilities and rights, including programs like Social Security that are intended to ensure the stability and security of American families. 

The Respect for Marriage Act represents the consensus approach endorsed by the nation’s leading LGBT and civil rights stakeholders and legislators, and would ensure that valid marriages are respected under federal law, providing couples with much-needed certainty that they will have the same access to federal responsibilities and rights as all other married couples.

Supporters of DOMA argued in 1996 that the law is necessary to promote family structures that are best for children, but every credible medical, social science and child welfare organization has concluded that gay and lesbian couples are equal parents.  Married gay and lesbian couples pay taxes, serve their communities and raise children like other couples.  Their contributions and needs are no different from anyone else’s.  The Respect for Marriage Act would ensure that couples who assume the serious legal duties of marriage are treated fairly under federal law.

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