And Yet Another Christmas Gift: Another Republican Signs On To Repeal DOMA

There was a lot of chatter as to what happened to the GOP this past November and why they didn't take back the White House and sweep all the elections. There was chatter that the GOP is a rich, white man's party, and makes no room for the middle class or the poor, or anyone of color, or women, or, naturally, The Gays.

But one member of the GOP has stepped up and realized that being exclusive is not exactly the way to go, and has come out, so to speak, in support of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA].

New York Congressman, Richard Hanna, a first-term incumbent, announced his co-sponsorship of the Respect for Marriage Act in a statement provided to The Advocate:

“New York State allows all its citizens the freedom to marry the person they love. Under the Tenth Amendment, the federal government has a Constitutional responsibility to respect New York’s right to set its own laws. It’s my job to see that it does.

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It is right to extend equal protection under federal law to all couples who are legally married without infringing upon religious freedom and beliefs. This legislation does not tell states who can be married or who must be treated as married, nor does it require any religious institution to violate their own convictions.

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I respect the deeply held beliefs on both sides of this issue. The simple fact remains that the federal government has a responsibility to ensure all legally married couples are treated equally under federal law – and this bill would achieve that proper standard.”

Hanna joins Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the first Republican lawmaker to back DOMA repeal some fifteen months ago. But Hanna has been quite clear on being an LGBT advocate and ally; he has vocally supported the Employment Non-discrimination Act [ENDA] and cast four votes against amendments to affirm DOMA.

Perhaps there will be a new GOP in the future, a more inclusive GOP, and one that includes more members like Richard Hanna.

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