Republican lawmaker calls for repeal of marriage law

"Florida U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has signed onto a new effort to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

The bill's sponsor, Brooklyn Democrat U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, says Ros-Lehtinen is the first Republican to do so. He hopes her voice will convince other GOP lawmakers.

Under current law, the federal government recognizes only marriages between men and women. That means even same sex couples who wed in the six states that have legalized gay marriage can't enjoy federal marriage benefits like tax breaks, social security and hospital visitation rights. The bill would return the definition of marriage to the states.

Nadler filed it in March. Ros-Lehtinen became the 125th co-sponsor Friday. Ros-Lehtinen is chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Her district includes an influential gay community."

 - WSJ.com

Related articles

• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Becomes First Republican To Cosponsor DOMA Repeal (brandtstandard.com)
• DOMA repeal gets first Republican sponsor (sfgate.com)
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Supports DOMA Repeal. Does She Realize She's A Republican? (queerty.com)

"GOP must reconsider same-sex marriage"

GOP must reconsider same-sex marriage - Opinions "As someone who is a registered Republican but identifies as libertarian, people are sometimes surprised that I vehemently support LGBTQ rights. However, given the current "don't tread on me" mentality of the right-wing, conservatives who still believe gay couples should not be granted the same rights as straight couples are simply inconsistent; it is their views that should be shocking.
A very libertarian theme that Republican candidates have recently expressed is that the government should stay out of one's personal affairs, especially when it comes to health care and taxes, both hot-button issues of the Tea Party movement. A conservative who believes strongly in individual rights should then fully support allowing the government to marry individuals of all sexual orientations, since the government should have no say in who can or cannot wed. "

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