Lost in the madness that’s going on in Madison over the past dozen days or so was the Obama’s decision this week to halt all legal defenses of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
The act ensured that only straight marriages, not same-sex marriages, would be valid at the federal level. States that conducted same-sex marriages weren’t allowed to bestow federal rights to these couples.
Obama’s decision to halt the defense of DOMA signals a drastic change for our nation, which now, according to recent polling, supports giving same-sex couples some form of rights, whether they are marriages or strong civil unions. By ending the enforcement of DOMA, couples in states that allow same-sex marriage can now apply for federal benefits as well.
It’s the right move to make, one that hopefully will someday lead to an all-out legalization of same-sex marriage at the federal level.
Now, we’ve just got to get Obama to come to Madison to support workers’ rights. He did, after all, make a promise to do so in 2007 when he was candidate Obama.
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