Congress, on the other hand, is still lagging behind. I was expecting to see the Partial DOMA repeal legislation on the table when I returned from my vacation, but apparently disagreements over what form the legislation should take are slowing things down. From the Bay Area Reporter:
HRC has yet to take a position on what a DOMA repeal bill should press for, said Solmonese.
"We are having an internal debate in the community," over what form the legislation should take, he said. "There are a lot more people who might support conveyance of federal benefits rather than the portability piece."
But he said others are arguing that "if you convey benefits, why not do it to states with marriage plus those with some form of relationship status," such as Washington, Oregon, and California where LGBT couples can enter into domestic partnerships. "Then you would do a DOMA-plus bill."
Solmonese said some have cautioned that pushing a so-called DOMA-plus bill would compromise efforts in California and other states to undue same-sex marriage bans. Should the federal government extend full marriage rights and benefits to domestic partners, it could hinder efforts to repeal Prop 8 next year.
"It takes away the catalyst for these states to move toward marriage," pointed out Solmonese. "It is a valid point to consider. Look at what the California court decision said, it spoke out against a separate but equal solution."
It goes back to the whole benefits vs. name debate, which I addressed in this earlier post. Sadly the LGBT community, diverse as it is, can rarely reach an united front on anything. And congressional leaders, hoping to avoid controversial topics such as gay marriage and DOMA, are more than happy to take advantage of that. While they often speak passionately about the hate crime bill and EDNA, neither Harry Reid nor Nancy Pelosi has shown any intention or interests to take on DOMA. Even though Harry Reid recently endorsed a DADT memorandum bill proposed by Senator Kristen Gillibrand, it doesn't appear that he is willing to go any further than that.
All of that left us with a disheartening timetable. It's vague, and it differs depending on who you are talking to.
But Polis also suggested that DOMA repeal would not come anytime soon. The need for Congress to act will only grow stronger, he said, as the list of states with full marriage equality grows.
"Repeal of Prop 8 next year certainly would be helpful in repealing DOMA. There is no doubt about that," said Polis.
And according to Rep. Jackie Speier, another pro-gay congresswoman:
As for federal recognition of same-sex marriages, which Speier supports, she predicted it would take several years before LGBT couples received all the same rights and privileges as those granted to heterosexual couples.
"This will happen, I think, in less than 10 years. Now having said that, I fully appreciate that is not fast enough ..."
Of course, the heavyweight of all remains POTUS, who has said more than once that the LGBT community "will be very happy by the end of my term". Many people interpret it as the end of President Obama's second term. That's eight years from now, folks.
There you have it, so according to the politicians, DOMA Repeal will happen in the next eight to ten years. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn summed it up the best:
“And he said not to worry and that by the end of his term I would be happy with him,” Quinn told everyone.
“He kept saying, ‘Don’t worry. By the end of my term, you’ll be happy.’ Well, it’s not actually about being happy. And I’m not going to wait till the end of anything,”
That's what happens when we wait for action, not push for it. Unless we light a fire under every politician who claims to be pro gay rights, reward those who stand by us and swiftly punish those who don't, no one is going to act on our behalf.
As FDR once said, "I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it." We need to stop fighting over details and work together to make them do it.
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