In
a Washington Post op-ed column running tomorrow, President Bill Clinton
who signed the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act into law in 1996,
called on the Supreme Court to overturn the ban on federal recognition
of legally married same-sex couples, saying the law was “incompatible
with our Constitution.” The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments
later this month in the Windsor case challenging DOMA as well as the
Perry case challenging California’s Proposition 8, banning marriage for
gay and lesbian couples.
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin released the following statement:
“A growing chorus has risen up in opposition to DOMA but the loudest
voice is now the man who signed the bill into law calling for it to be
overturned. President Clinton has already voiced his opposition to the
Defense of Marriage Act and his emphatic repudiation of this
discriminatory law is a reflection of the views of a majority of
Americans who don’t understand why loving and committed couples should
be ignored by their own government. As President Clinton eloquently
articulated, DOMA is a vestige of another time and now we must turn our
back on legally sanctioned discrimination.”