Marriage equality is a basic human right – Statement by US Ambassador to Australia (11 May 2012)
Yesterday, the President shared that he personally supports the right of same-sex couples to marry. It will not change federal policy, because marriage has always been a state issue rather than a federal one.
The President has always supported equal benefits for same-sex couples and – since the day he took office — he has asked Congress to repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act” (which forbids a same-sex marriage from receiving full force and effect in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage).
The President’s statement is significant not for any legal impact, but rather for the power of it being said at all. For the first time in history, the President of the United States has acknowledged the dignity of the commitment of gay and lesbian people to one another, and his belief that their relationships be accorded the same respect as heterosexual couples in America.
