Overturn Doma
Bill Clinton encourages court to overturn DOMA
Paola Santiago Ortiz
Sociology 111, Winter 13
Professor Rabinowitz
March 10, 2013
Bill Clinton encourages court to overturn DOMA
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed by former President Bill Clinton “in 1996 barring federal recognition of same-sex weddings” (Baker). DOMA defines “marriage for federal purpose as the union of a man and woman” (Baker); however, “it did not ban same-sex marriage in the states” (Baker) and allowed the states to have the choice in recognizing a same-sex marriage or not. The fight to overturn DOMA has been an ongoing event in the United States, however the first publicly known lawsuit against DOMA, according to Maza, was filed around July 8, 2009 and there have been about five others since. The fight to overturn DOMA does not currently have an end date; however some people believe it would be over soon. DOMA has been in effect for 17 years and Mr. Clinton believes that the law is unconstitutional and contravenes the quintessential American values” (Baker) and has join President Obama in the fight to overturn the law. Mr. Clinton, was a president that had help the homosexual community and promote their rights, had felt the pressure from Republican leaders when he signed the law in 1996 and believe that they were attempting to utilize this issue to damage his image and “chances for a second term” (Baker). Mr. Clinton has spent most of his time after his presidency term trying to distance himself from the law he signed and explain why he signed DOMA. According to Baker, Mr. Clinton believes that the law is discriminatory and provides and excuse for discrimination for same-sex couples.
The fight against DOMA is a great topic to research in the sociological world because many of the sociological concepts can be utilized to talk about this hot topic. During my research, I can safely say that religion plays a major part for the opponents of same-sex marriage and supporters of
Paola Santiago Ortiz
Sociology 111, Winter 13
Professor Rabinowitz
March 10, 2013
Bill Clinton encourages court to overturn DOMA
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed by former President Bill Clinton “in 1996 barring federal recognition of same-sex weddings” (Baker). DOMA defines “marriage for federal purpose as the union of a man and woman” (Baker); however, “it did not ban same-sex marriage in the states” (Baker) and allowed the states to have the choice in recognizing a same-sex marriage or not. The fight to overturn DOMA has been an ongoing event in the United States, however the first publicly known lawsuit against DOMA, according to Maza, was filed around July 8, 2009 and there have been about five others since. The fight to overturn DOMA does not currently have an end date; however some people believe it would be over soon. DOMA has been in effect for 17 years and Mr. Clinton believes that the law is unconstitutional and contravenes the quintessential American values” (Baker) and has join President Obama in the fight to overturn the law. Mr. Clinton, was a president that had help the homosexual community and promote their rights, had felt the pressure from Republican leaders when he signed the law in 1996 and believe that they were attempting to utilize this issue to damage his image and “chances for a second term” (Baker). Mr. Clinton has spent most of his time after his presidency term trying to distance himself from the law he signed and explain why he signed DOMA. According to Baker, Mr. Clinton believes that the law is discriminatory and provides and excuse for discrimination for same-sex couples.
The fight against DOMA is a great topic to research in the sociological world because many of the sociological concepts can be utilized to talk about this hot topic. During my research, I can safely say that religion plays a major part for the opponents of same-sex marriage and supporters of
References: Baker, P. (2013, March 07). Clinton urges court to overturn marriage law he signed. Retrieved on 9 March 2013 from http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/clinton-urges-court-to-overturn-marriage-law-he-signed/?src=recg Clinton, Bill (2013, March 07). It’s time to overturn DOMA. Retrieved on 9 March 2013 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bill-clinton-its-time-to-overturn-doma/2013/03/07/fc184408-8747-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html Henslin, J. 2010. Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Kinder, D. and Kam, C. 2010. Us against Them: Ethnocentric Foundations of American Opinion. University of Chicago Press. Maza, C. (2012, March 01). Overview: The Six Current DOMA Lawsuits. Retrieved on 9 March 2013 from http://equalitymatters.org/blog/201103010013 New Testament. Matthews 19. Retrieved on 10 March 2013 from http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+19 Pacific school of religion. (2009). Retrieved on 9 March 2013 from http://www.clgs.org/marriage/state-definitions Parker-Pope, T. (2008, June 10). Gay Unions She Light on Gender in Marriage. Retrieved on 10 March 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/health/10well.html?_r=0