The purpose of this petition is to ask the U.S. government to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Under DOMA, the federal government doesn't recognize same-sex marriages and no state is required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state.
With DOMA, gay couples can't have benefits of other couples including, but not limited to, insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security survivors' benefits, and filing joint tax returns.
The Obama administration decided in 2011 that DOMA was unconstitutional and, though it would still enforce the law, it wouldn't defend it in court.
Since it's unconstitutional, it should be repealed, so gay people across the country can have the same constitutional right to marriage benefits as heterosexual couples.
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