Former President Bill Clinton On
Thursday called on the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law signed into law by Clinton which
prevents federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay
and lesbian couples.
“When I signed the bill, I included a
statement with the admonition that 'enactment of this legislation
should not, despite the fierce and at times divisive rhetoric
surrounding it, be understood to provide an excuse for
discrimination,'” Clinton wrote in an op-ed published in The
Washington Post. “Reading those words today, I know now
that, even worse than providing an excuse for discrimination, the law
is itself discriminatory. It should be overturned.”
“I join with the Obama
administration, the petitioner Edith Windsor, and the many other
dedicated men and women who have engaged in this struggle for decades
in urging the Supreme Court to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.”
Clinton also reiterated his support for
marriage equality.
The Supreme Court will hear oral
arguments in Windsor v. United States later this month and is
expected to hand down a ruling in June.