June 26, 2013

DOMA Dies a Well-Deserved Death

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I see this morning that President Kennedy has decided to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. So it’s now official: laws that screw blacks are OK, but laws that screw gays aren’t. Some progress, eh?

UPDATE: Commenter cdflower says, “This is a mighty sour way to greet a truly monumental day for a large group of people who have suffered legal and legislative bigotry.”

Point taken. The truth is that I’m still feeling pretty sour about yesterday’s VRA ruling, and pretty sour about Justice Anthony Kennedy’s role as de facto judge, jury, and executioner on cases like these. Nonetheless, this really is a great day for gays; for those of us with gay family and friends; and for the country. I apologize for being sour about it.

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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