The Boston Globe carried a story on March 3 about gay rights activists filing a suit challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) law that prevents those married in Massachusetts from filing a federal joint income tax, or enjoying any other benefits of the legal recognitions of marriage. The suit was filed yesterday in federal district court in Boston by the same legal team from GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) who argued the Goodridge case in 2003. The case is styled Gill et al. vs. Office of Personnel Management, et al. (Gill v. OPM). Basically, the plaintiffs seek a ruling that DOMA Section 3 is unconstitutional as applied to the plaintiffs in Federal Income Tax, Social Security, federal employment benefits, and the issuance of passports.
The link to GLAD, above, will take readers to their excellent DOMA page. The page has information on the couples and widowers in the suit, but also the full text of the complaint. There is a nice history of DOMA, and explanations of the suit. There is a link for a press release from the Massachusetts Attorney General in support of the suit. Interestingly, they also have a blog. And there is a video of the press conference announcing the law suit. GLAD has other advocacy projects going on as well, which can be explored by hovering a mouse along the menu at the top of the page. This is a very information-rich site.
Oddly enough, the way I was alerted to the suit, was not by reading the Globe yesterday -- I was too busy in the morning. I was on Twitter and began to follow the Mass. Attorney General's office which just began Tweeting. The first tweet I saw there was an announcement in support of the suit.
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