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发帖数: 4174 | 1 Posted on Advocate.com December 18, 2011 12:48:35 PM ET
New Jersey Senator Announces Support for DOMA Repeal Bill
By Andrew Harmon
Sen. Robert Menendez, (D-N.J.)
In a Sunday op-ed, New Jersey senator Robert Menendez announced his support
for a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
“Since my vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act 15 years ago, like
tens of millions of Americans, I have reflected deeply and frequently about
this issue,” Sen. Menendez wrote in the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
“During this time, I have engaged in discussions about the issue of
marriage equality with friends, family members, colleagues and of course,
the people I serve in New Jersey,” he continued. “I have heard and
listened to many different views. … But for me, this comes down to an issue
of fundamental fairness. For me, this comes down to the principles I
learned as the child of immigrants and that I cherish as an American: that
we believe in equality for all people under the law.”
Menendez becomes the 32nd sponsor of the Senate bill introduced by Sen.
Dianne Feinstein. The Senate version has yet to attract any Republican
support (the House version has one GOP cosponsor, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
of Florida).
Last week, a coalition of advocates for repeal of the antigay law delivered
several thousand signatures to Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a key GOP
supporter of “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal who has yet to sign onto the
DOMA repeal bill. The House version of the bill, introduced by Congressman
Jerrold Nadler of New York, currently has 134 cosponsors.
Steve Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, called Menendez's decision
"a spectacular moment in our movement to end discrimination in marriage.” (
Read the press release on the senator's co-sponsorship via Freedom to Marry
here.) |
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