Richmond, VA - The ACLU of Virginia today celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to strike down the “Defense of Marriage Act” as unconstitutional.  The ACLU is gratified that the Court recognizes that there is no valid reason for the federal government to treat legally married couples differently based on the sexual orientation of the couple. The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, and others on behalf of Edie Windsor who, following the death of her partner of 44 years, Thea Spyer, was forced to pay more than $363,000 in federal estate taxes.  Edie would not have had to pay any estate taxes after her spouse’s death if Thea had been male, as the couple was legally married in 2007.
The following can be attributed to ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Claire G. Gastañaga:
This is truly a historic victory and a step forward for Edie Windsor and for loving, married same-sex couples and their families.  There are more than 1,100  federal laws and programs where being married makes a difference—from tax laws, to eligibility for family medical leave, to social security survivor’s benefits, to access to health care for a spouse.
With today’s ruling, the Supreme Court strikes down the very core of the Defense of Marriage Act, the last federal law on the books that explicitly mandates discrimination against LGBT people by the federal government simply because they are not heterosexual.  It is just and right that the Supreme Court has recognized that it is past time  for our federal government to treat legally married LGBT couples no differently than it treats legally married heterosexual couples.  With this decision, we are moving forward to a time when every person will have the freedom to marry the person they love and to have that marriage accorded the same legal status regardless of who they are.  The ACLU of Virginia earnestly looks forward to that time and will continue to take action to achieve that goal.
Click here to read more about the Edie Windsor, her life with Thea Spyer and this historical case.
Click here for more information on the ACLU's national Out For Freedom Campaign.
http://www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/doma-unconstitutional-and-prop-8-go...