Now in New York the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has found that Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, making it the second federal appeals court to find DOMA unconstitutional. The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit made a similar ruling in May of this year in Boston. Enacted by Congress in 1996, DOMA nullifies the marriages of gay & lesbian couples for all purposes of federal law. Adam Umhoefer, Executive Director of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) stated, “Today’s decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit continues the unceasing momentum toward marriage equality for all Americans & affirms that discrimination against gay & lesbian Americans is unfair, unjust & unconstitutional. The body of evidence in support of marriage equality is clear and convincing. This decision, as well previous decisions in other DOMA cases & in our federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, signals that the arguments opposing the recognition of marriage for gay & lesbian Americans have no legal basis. With today’s ruling, we are one step closer to the day when marriage equality is a reality for every American.” In the meantime our LGBT community continues to be treated as second-class citizens. Updates to Come..:)
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