gay marriage

A federal judge in Connecticut has ruled that part of a federal law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman and denies federal benefits to married gay couples is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford ruled Tuesday that the provision in the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act violates the Fifth Amendment right to equal protection.

The ruling came in the case of six married same-sex couples and a widower who sued after being denied federal benefits. The plaintiffs are from Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The highest court in Massachusetts has found that civil unions for gay couples in Vermont should be treated as the equivalent of marriage in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that a couple who enters into a civil union in Vermont must dissolve that union before either can get married in Massachusetts.

We speak with Linda Hirshman about her book, Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution. She will be talking about and signing her book this Sunday – July 8th – from 4-5 PM at the Roeliff Jansen Community Library in Hillsdale, NY. 

Aime Kunes is President of the LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts. She says that President Obama’s support for gay marriage falls in line with other efforts his administration has made, such as the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”.

Kunes says that the she thought the president spoke his mind despite political risk.

Jason Verchot, president of Berkshire Stonewall, a nonprofit supporting the well-being of the gay and lesbian community in the Berkshires, says that president Obama’s support at the federal level is significant.