Washington Senator Patty Murray is the
latest senator to publicly flip on the issue of gay marriage.
Murray voted in favor of the Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that bans federal recognition of
the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
But the 60-year-old Murray now says she
supports a
Democratic effort to repeal the law.
“I am proud to stand with Senator
Feinstein and others as we fight to end this 14-year-old policy and
make sure all married couples are treated equally in the eyes of the
federal government,” said Murray.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein is
the lead sponsor of The Respect for Marriage Act of 2011 in
the Senate. Feinstein objected to the law in 1996.
Other senators who have had a change of
heart include Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Patrick Leahy of
Vermont, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Charles Schumer of New
York, and Tom Harkin of Iowa.
Specter lost his seat on November 2 to
Senator Joe Sestak, a marriage equality supporter.
Additionally, former
president Bill Clinton, who as president signed the bill into law,
has publicly stated he was “wrong” on the issue and the law's
author, former Georgia Representative Bob Barr, a Republican turned
Libertarian, has also reversed course.
Murray's
endorsement could boost efforts in her home state to legalize gay
marriage.