Political Quotes

“Mr. President, over the past few years we have seen remarkable progress in one of the defining civil rights issues of our era--ensuring that all lawfully married couples are treated equally under the law. In 2011, when I chaired the first Congressional hearing to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, only five states, including Vermont, recognized same-sex marriage. Following the Supreme Court's historic decision last month to not review decisions from several circuits striking down same-sex marriage bans as unconstitutional, same-sex couples in 35 States and the District of Columbia are, or will soon be, able to marry. This is welcome progress. In modern America, no person should face discrimination based on the one they love. Despite this' tremendous progress, there is still more to be done. As I said when the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, ``All couples who are lawfully married under state law, including in Vermont, should be entitled to the same Federal protections afforded to all other married couples.'' Court challenges will continue in the remaining states that do not recognize marriage equality. In Congress, there are several steps we can take immediately to help ensure our federal laws treat all marriages equally. Surprisingly, the Copyright Act, which protects our Nation's diverse creative voices, still bears vestiges of discrimination.…”