Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced today that he intends to bring the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), before his committee for a vote in November. The bill, cosponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and 29 others, was introduced in March and was the subject of a historic hearing in July. Representative Jerrold Nadler’s (D-NY) companion House bill has bipartisan support.

“I commend Senators Leahy, Feinstein, and the bill’s many supporters for their commitment to ending discrimination against same-sex couples,” said Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way. “The Respect for Marriage Act will help thousands of American citizens experience full equality under the law. All citizens deserve the opportunity to enjoy benefits that only marriage can provide, and moving this bill out of Committee will be an important step toward making that ideal a reality.”

People For the American Way’s petition, Dump DOMA, contains thousands of signatures of people who believe that the federal government should no longer discriminate against loving families by denying them equal access to the legal protections that are only available to legally married couples.

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