Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Received the following email from Senator Merkley:

Equal rights for every American is one of our most cherished Constitutional principles, one that our nation is continually striving to meet.  For this reason, I believe that committed same-sex couples should have the same basic rights that heterosexual couples do.  As you may know, DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages and permits states to refuse recognition of such marriages performed in other states.  In other words, the Act strips couples legally married in five states of their marital rights, such as Social Security, health care, and even the right to visit each other in the hospital.  This form of discrimination undermines our Constitutional values.  Every American, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is entitled to full equality under the law.  I will strongly support a repeal of DOMA to ensure full marriage equality for committed same-sex couples across the nation.

In a similar vein, I am proud to be the lead sponsor of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which works to end workplace discrimination by extending the same employment benefits and protections to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community that are already afforded to other individuals.  Please know that I will continue to champion full equality under the law for members of the LGBT community.

Oregon Rep Earl Blumenauer has already signed on as a sponsor of the Bill to repeal DOMA.

Tags: marriage equality, politics