Carina Gibson
March 6, 2009
1:31 AM
Gay couples across the US are outraged at the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevents them from filing as a married couple. This act is a blatant example of discrimination that same-sex couples are going through. Kathleen Bush and Marie Ritchie, for example, are filing a law suit against the federal government because they claim that they have filed over $15,000 more on their taxes because they are not filing as a married couple. DOMA, or The Defense of Marriage Act, was created by Congress in 1996. Several different acts put in place throughout the history of the US government along with present day measures as well, further discriminate against gays and lesbians is a continuous fight for these The Department of Defense also has policy that prevents gay people from participating in the army. President Barack Obama has promised to help repeal DOMA and remove the policies that don’t allow gays to participate in the military. There are “more than 1,000 federal programs and legal protections in which marriage is a factor...” and therefore denying gays the right to marriage or civil union is seriously hindering them from the same benefits many opposite-sex couples receive. Not to mention the fact that this is a major intrusion and interference into personal lives that government should not have control or say over.
Arguments can be made on both sides of this issue, but I thoroughly believe that these couples should, without a doubt, receive the same benefits and tax relief as any other couples do, no matter what their sexual orientation is.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6994110
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