Barack Obama endorses Respect for Marriage Act

President Barack Obama has endorsed a landmark Act that would grant federal recognition to same-sex marriages in the US. The White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, announced the President’s support for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA, which defines marriage as being between one man and one woman,
has been the target of a long-running campaign in the US to achieve better rights for same-sex couples, although it remains an article of faith for conservatives and faith groups.

Although the Respect for Marriage Act would give federal recognition to same-sex marriages, states would remain able to decide for themselves if or not to allow same-sex marriage. As So So Gay reported in June, New York recently became the sixth state to allow gay marriage, although it permitted religious groups to continue to discriminate against same-sex couples. Campaigners will hope that the President’s backing for the Respect for Marriage Act will embolden legislators keen to extend equal rights to LGBT people, although the Act has yet to pass Congress. With a razor-thin Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican-controlled House, significant hurdles remain if the Act is to become law.

In other developments, on Monday the former US presidential candidate and ex New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, called on fellow Republicans to ‘stay out’ of the gay marriage question. Republican hopefuls for the presidential nomination for next year’s election are generally staunchly against equal marriage rights, although dissenting voices have made the headlines. Representative Michelle Bachmann has described gay marriage in terms of an existential threat to the US, though former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney – a vocal critic of gay marriage while in office – recently refused to sign a pledge condemning gay marriage. Fellow contender Tim Pawlenty also refused to sign the pledge, which has been supported by Bachmann and former Senator Rick Santorum.