Tell Pelosi and Reid: Now is the time to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

Credo Action:

First John Ensign. Now Mark Sanford. Seems like a lot of politicians who've voted to ban gay marriage have broken their own marriage vows.

And that's why this is exactly the right time to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - the awful legislation that prevents legally married same-sex couples from accessing federal rights and benefits.

John Ensign voted to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Mark Sanford voted for DOMA when he served in Congress. Politicians like them claim that marriage should be between one man and one woman, but that's sure not how they do things in their own marriages.

Blogger John Aravosis made the great point that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have a rare opportunity right now: If they strike while the iron is hot and introduce legislation to repeal DOMA, the right-wing "family values" opposition wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Moreover, conservatives wouldn't be able to argue against DOMA without drawing further attention to their own deep hypocrisy.

Sign the petition

"The Defense of Marriage Act has institutionalized homophobia for far too long. As more and more states legalize same-sex marriage, it's absurd that legally married couples still can't access the federal rights and benefits to which they're entitled. Politicians like John Ensign and Mark Sanford who say marriage should be between one man and one woman have no legs left to stand on - this is the right moment to introduce legislation to repeal DOMA."
President Obama claims he's in favor of repealing DOMA - he just needs for Congress to send him a bill. Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid should give him the opportunity to make good on his word.

Sign this petition today to tell Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid that we've waited too long to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act - now is the right moment to do so, and they should introduce legislation to take advantage of it.