Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer has
said his 1996 vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was
“probably a mistake.”
Hoyer came out in favor of gay marriage
in May, sixteen years after he supported DOMA, which forbids federal
agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian
couples.
The 73-year-old Democrat is pushing to
uphold a marriage equality law approved by Maryland lawmakers.
“I have, throughout my career,
thought we should treat people equally,” Hoyer told the Baltimore
Sun. “Like the president, I evolved into thinking marriage
had a broader meaning.”
In 2003, Hoyer learned that his
daughter, Stefany Hoyer Hemmer, now 43, is gay. She publicly
announced her sexual orientation in June.
“I thought that if I came out, I
could help push the effort forward,” Hemmer said of the issue in
Maryland.
Hoyer said the issue was gaining
support at a fast pace because “what people have seen is these are
friends and neighbors and sisters and brothers and people you have a
great deal of respect for.”
He added that he was largely influenced
by Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank, the first member of
Congress to voluntarily come out gay and the first to marry while
holding office.
“In discussions with him, I
determined how important legal recognition of that relationship, of
marriage, was,” he said.