Issue Position: Marriage Equality

Issue Position

As a New York progressive, Kirsten strongly believes in equal rights for all. Since her days in Congress, Kirsten has spoken out in favor of full marriage equality, becoming one of the first members of the U.S. Senate to favor full marriage equality and the first from New York State.

For far too long, marriage and the basic rights of recognized relationships have been limited to straight couples. Civil marriage is a government institution, not a religious one. When a couple is granted a marriage license in a state, they are subsequently granted more than 1,000 federal rights and hundreds of additional state rights, including medical treatment, hospital visitation, employee benefits for families, parenting rights and custodial protections.

Unfortunately, The Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevents same-sex couples from enjoying the same rights afforded to straight couples. That's why she is leading the fight in the U.S. Senate to repeal DOMA, by sponsoring the Respect For Marriage Act and launching a national online campaign at http://repealDOMA.com.

Kirsten was also a leading voice for marriage equality in New York leading up to its historic passage in June.

Kirsten believes everyone should be able to marry the person they love and that being part of a family is a basic right. She looks forward to the day that our country accepts this basic principle of fairness.

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