Reps. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Jim
Langevin of Rhode Island have co-sponsored a bill would repeal the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), bringing the total number of
representatives supporting the bill to 122, two more than last year's
initial effort.
The 1996 law prohibits federal agencies
from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
“Getting married to my wife Gwen and
building our life together was the best thing that ever happened to
me,” Walz, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I simply cannot
imagine why we would want to ban our fellow Americans from that
commitment. Martin Luther King Jr. once said 'The arc of the moral
universe is long, but it bends towards justice.' I believe that arc
is getting shorter and I look forward to a day in my lifetime when
Americans are not discriminated on based on who they love.”
Langevin added that he believes passage
is near: “When I supported non-discrimination legislation in the
Rhode Island legislature many years ago, I remember my father talking
of his belief that one day our nation would look back in disbelief at
a time when we denied our fellow citizens basic civil rights based on
their sexual orientation. I now believe that day is within our
reach, and I'm honored to be a supporter of this bill.”
Earlier this year, President Barack
Obama announced he would no longer defend the law in court. He's
also endorsed the legislative effort to repeal the law.
New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the
bill's main sponsor, said the “movement to repeal DOMA is steadily
growing stronger and more robust.”
“Dumping DOMA is simply not a
question of if but when,” he added.