DOMA defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman. As such, it is a right-wing insurance policy designed to invalidate state-based advances.
DOMA establishes a state's right to refuse to recognize a marriage lawfully sanctioned in another state. That's tantamount to saying that it is okay for a woman to be allowed to vote in Massachusetts but not in Maine.
DOMA also prohibits same-sex couples from filing joint tax returns, claiming survivors' benefits to Social Security, and inheriting spouses' estates tax-free. In an allegedly free-market society, what could be a surer sign of second-class status than this?
President Obama must make the repeal of DOMA a central priority. Gay and lesbian Americans should not have to wait in the back of the bus for their turn to enjoy their rights.
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