Brian Sims, Pennsylvania's first openly
gay representative to be elected, believes striking down the Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA) will bring about chaos which would benefit the
LGBT community.
The 34-year-old Sims, a policy attorney
and civil rights advocate, told Philadelphia
Magazine that should the Supreme Court rule DOMA
unconstitutional, legal confusion would ensue, forcing states where
gay marriage is not legal to confront the issue.
“If DOMA is struck down, those states
will technically have to recognize laws in [marriage-equality]
states,” Sims said. “And if those states are forced to recognize
marriages in other states you're going to have a bunch of disparities
in other circuits and … the Supreme Court will be forced to revisit
it in three or four years. If nothing else it's going to create a
lot of confusion, and chaos in the legal system [which] is good for
the LGBTQ community. It will force decisions that are founded in
law, and when those decisions come down they tend to be in favor of
LGBTQ equality.”