Senator Klobuchar will co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act

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http://www.freedomtomarry.org/blog/entry/senator-klobuchar-will-co-sponsor-the-respect-for-marriage-act

Yesterday, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that she will co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, the bill that will overturn DOMA. Klobuchar, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced her co-sponsorship two weeks after her committee held the first-ever Congressional hearing on repealing the DOMA. The hearing featured stories from real people who have been harmed by federal marriage discrimination, including Ron Wallen, who may be forced from the home he shared with his now-deceased husband Tom because of DOMA. Freedom to Marry's Founder and President Evan Wolfson also testified at the hearing, pointing to the concrete harms that DOMA imposes on the lives of thousands of American families (Click here to watch Ron and Evan's testimonies). And now with Klobuchar's co-sponsorship, all ten Democrats on the Judiciary committee are listed as co-sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill currently has 29 co-sponsors in the Senate.

Since the launch of our federal program earlier this year, Freedom to Marry has made the case for ending federal marriage discrimination on Capitol Hill. Our team regularly meets with members of Congress and their staff to urge support for the Respect for Marriage Act, while our members have sent thousands of messages in support of repealing DOMA to their legislators.

Three weeks ago, Freedom to Marry joined with Outfront Minnesota to ask Senator Klobuchar to sign on as a co-sponsor to the Respect for Marriage Act. Together, we mobilized over 1,000 Minnesotans to contact the Senator in 48 hours in the days leading up to the Judiciary Committee hearing, underscoring the undeniable impact of grassroots organizing and the sharing of personal stories.

As support for the freedom to marry continues to grow nationwide and momentum for repealing DOMA rapidly accelerates in the nation's capital, Freedom to Marry and our supporters nationwide will continue to work to bring an end to DOMA once and for all. The dedication and persistence of pro-equality Minnesotans that ultimately compelled Senator Klobuchar to take a stand against marriage discrimination this week is exactly the type of pressure that will continue to convince more and more elected officials that supporting the freedom to marry is the right thing to do.

[MineralMan]

1. Thanks for coming through on that, Amy!

You're not always the most progressive Senator, but you've done well here. Thanks for standing up for what's right.

This will certainly play in my support for your candidacy in 2012.

[Kalidurga]

2. Whew,

that sounded like a name some RWer came up with. Maybe with a name like that they can just fast track it through.

[MineralMan]

3. Well, the right has been coming up with deceptive names for bills

and organizations for a very long time. Maybe this time it will work for us.

[Kalidurga]

4. well it will work for sure if there are enough people like Herman Cain

put the bill in a match book and we are all set.