House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has
described an appeals court's ruling against the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA) as a “significant step” toward gay rights.
On Thursday, a 3-judge Boston appeals
court unanimously
upheld a lower district court's ruling declaring unconstitutional the
heart of DOMA – Section 3, which bars federal agencies from
recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
Pelosi reacted to the decision in a
statement.
“Today's ruling is a significant step
forward in our march toward equality for LGBT Americans. Now, for
the first time in American history, a federal appeals court has
recognized that a law denying federal benefits to same-sex married
couples is unconstitutional, we move closer to the day when marriage
equality is a reality for all.”
“With this decision, once again a
federal court has rejected the position of the Bipartisan Legal
Advisory Group, which is a single-minded effort by Republicans in
Congress to defend discrimination at great expense to the American
taxpayer.”
“When DOMA is ultimately found to be
unconstitutional, once and for all, it will right a wrong of our past
and we will move closer to ending a fundamental unfairness in our
nation. We look forward to the day when we discard this
discriminatory law in the dustbin of history and when all of
America’s families enjoy the blessings of equal protection under
the law.”
(Related: Barney
Frank “pleased but not surprised” by gay marriage ban DOMA
ruling.)