The Department of Justice today filed a brief defending the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) in the case Gill v. Office of Personnel Management. People For the American Way president Michael B. Keegan issued the following statement.

“I’m disappointed that the Department of Justice once again chose to defend a law which, by the Department’s own admission, discriminates against gay and lesbian Americans. In Massachusetts and other states, there are now two groups of legally married couples: one group which gets all the federal benefits that come with marriage, and another group which receives nothing. That situation is intolerable.  The administration missed an important opportunity to make clear that discrimination against LGBT people is unacceptable.

“Today’s brief highlights the need for President Obama to provide the leadership to repeal DOMA once and for all.  It’s a bad law, plain and simple. Congress and the White House should work together to remove it from the books as soon as possible.”

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