From: NGLTF@aol.com Date: Fri, 12 Jul 1996 15:21:29 -0400 Subject: DOMA House Vote - NGLTF Statement ************************************ PRESS RELEASE National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 2320 17th St. NW; Washington, DC 20009 Contact: Elise Jimenez (202) 332-6483 ext. 3305 Pager (800) 757-6476 ************************************ NGLTF BLASTS HOUSE VOTE SUPPORTING SAME-GENDER MARRIAGE BAN AS A VOTE IN SUPPORT OF INTOLERANCE Washington, D.C. July 12, 1996....The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) denounced today's House vote in support of the ill-named Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA); the vote was 342 in favor of DOMA and 67 opposed. This legislation is unnecessary, discriminatory and probably unconstitutional. DOMA (1) attempts to give states the power to deny legal recognition to public acts, records, or proceedings of any other state regarding same-gender marriages that may, in the future, be legally sanctioned in another state - in apparent violation of the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution - and (2) tells the states that even if they choose to legalize same gender marriages within their own borders, couples considered legally married within their state will not be considered legally married by the federal government and, thus, will be denied all the federal rights and responsibilities now extended to heterosexual married couples. The following statement from NGLTF on the House adoption of DOMA is attributable to its Executive Director, Melinda Paras: "It is a sad day indeed when the House of Representatives can so easily vote in favor of legislation whose only goal is to pit its citizens against each other. By adopting this legislation, the House of Representatives is caving in to the emotional arguments raised by Right-wing extremists, for whom DOMA stands as the centerpiece of their 1996 political agenda. These extremists seek to isolate and demonize the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities and are using the marriage issue toward that end. "DOMA is bogus legislation. It nether strengthens American families nor marriages between men and women. Instead, it draws a circle around gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals and proclaims that our families do not deserve recognition. In the hands of the Right-wing political extremists "family" serves as both a symbol and a weapon: a symbol of an imaginary past when everything was fine, and a weapon to divide society into good people and bad, the moral and the immoral, the productive citizen and the social parasite. "Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender family issues are here to stay because they speak to the aspirations of same-gender couples, just as they do for all committed couples. Most importantly, however, they reflect the real circumstances of our lives. Passage of DOMA will not change this and right-wing extremists know that. This is why DOMA is just one piece of their larger agenda to attack and undermine millions of American families, including gay and lesbian families, who do not meet the narrow definition of family put forth by a small group of political extremists. "Unfortunately the majority of the House of Representatives was not willing to stand up for the principles for which this country stands: tolerance, compassion and fairness. Instead, they fell into the trap set by the political extremists and their supporters in Congress. These extremists raised a false issue - same gender marriage, which is NOT legal in any state - in order to scare elected officials into endorsing their election year agenda. And, the majority of Representatives were not courageous enough to stand up and be counted in the fight against discrimination and intolerance, as their counterparts were in 17 states where this same issue was considered - - and defeated. "We will not stand by silently and be used as scapegoats in this election year. " The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a progressive organization that has supported grassroots organizing and pioneered in national advocacy since 1973. Since its inception, NGLTF has been at the forefront of virtually every major initiative for lesbian and gay rights. In all its efforts, NGLTF helps to strengthen the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender movement at the state level while connecting these activities to a national vision for change. ###