Military leaders to host conference call on DOMA harms

Washington, D.C.—Military officials, service members, and advocacy groups who filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in Windsor v. United States will hold a press conference call on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss the harms of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on the nation’s military. Thirty military and defense officials and Outserve-SLDN filed two briefs in the case, which is being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 27. The call will include brief remarks and Q&A with Former Congressman and former U.S. Navy Three-Star Admiral Joe Sestak; Former Congressman, Army Captain and Iraq War Veteran Patrick Murphy; Outserve-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson; and Staff Sgt. Tracy Johnson, who is not considered a war widow despite her wife’s death in Afghanistan.

Although the military has worked to make progress toward equality – namely through former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s recent extension of certain benefits to same-sex couples and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – DOMA prevents the military from treating gay and lesbian military couples equally. Because DOMA defines marriage for federal purposes as “between one man and one woman,” same-sex military couples cannot qualify for many protections available to other couples, including health care, housing assistance, primary next of kin status, and survivor’s benefits.

Outserve-SLDN and the Center for American Progress (CAP) have jointly authored a report about the ways in which DOMA discriminates against gay and lesbian military couples, called, “Collateral Damage: How the Defense of Marriage Act Harms the Troops and Undermines the U.S. Military.” Outserve-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson will discuss the report and answer questions on the call.


WHAT:

Military Officials and Service Members Hold Conference Call on Discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)


WHO:

Former Congressman and Former U.S. Navy Three-Star Admiral Joe Sestak

Former Congressman, Army Captain, Iraq War Veteran and CAP Senior Fellow Patrick Murphy

Allyson Robinson, Executive Director, Outserve-SLDN

Staff Sgt. Tracy Dice Johnson


WHEN:

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

10:30 AM ET

**Please RSVP to press@respectformarriage.org to receive call-in information.

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The Respect for Marriage Coalition is a partnership of more than 100 civil rights, faith, health, labor, business, legal, LGBT, student, and women's organizations working together to end the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and grow support for the freedom to marry. The Coalition is co-chaired by Freedom to Marry and the Human Rights Campaign.