Statement of National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
The U.S. Senate finally passed legislation to provide federal protections for same-sex marriages. This will give clarity and peace of mind to millions of families by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, which categorically disrespected their marriages.
For too long, LGBTQIA+ married families have lived without the basic rights enjoyed by the Republican senators who voted against this bill—rights most married couples take for granted. Those senators would be outraged to see their spouses and dependents denied Social Security benefits, hospital visitation rights, or rights as beneficiaries, but that’s been the reality for far too many, for far too long.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, the lead sponsor of the bill, said that people were “scared for good reason” about their rights being threatened. The Supreme Court used the same legal arguments in overturning Roe that conservatives are now using to undermine marriage equality. The Senate’s action was needed now—before the Supreme Court could act again.
Groups like NOW remain needed to keep up the fight for equality over the years or even decades it can take to achieve lasting change and progress. It shouldn’t have taken this long for the Senate to pass this most basic of protections, but progress was made today, and millions of lives are the better for it.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.