North Carolina Rep. Ralph Bradley
“Brad” Miller announced Wednesday he will co-sponsor a bill that
would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that
forbids federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay
and lesbian couples.
Miller is the 123rd
co-sponsor of the bill first introduced during last year's
legislative session by New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
“For a couple who has been married
legally, every state should be required to give full faith and
credit. North Carolina would still not be required to perform civil
marriage, but it would be required to [recognize] marriages performed
in other states,” Miller told gay glossy The
Advocate.
Miller also criticized the effort
to ban gay marriage in his home state: “This is entirely about
putting on the ballot a very divisive issue for political purposes …
and to try to lock in the attitudes of one generation. The amendment
goes well beyond marriage and would prohibit any type of civil union
legal recognition as well.”
Earlier this week, Reps.
Tim Walz of Minnesota and Jim Langevin of Rhode Island also said they
would co-sponsor Nadler's bill.