Letter to the Oregonian

The Oregonian newspaper had a great editorial today calling for marriage equality in Oregon (link in post title). I wrote this letter to the editor in response.

Dear Editor,

Thank you for today's editorial calling for marriage equality in Oregon. I applaud the paper for its strong stance.

However, you've missed a critical point. Marriage isn’t only a state issue. Until the Defense of Marriage Act is repealed, married same-sex couples will only enjoy the State benefits of marriage, while being denied crucial Federal benefits their heterosexual counterparts enjoy. Furthermore, gay couples traveling from a state where their marriage is recognized to a state where it isn't, lose their state benefits. Heterosexual couples have no such worries - their marriages are automatically recognized across state lines.

Oregon should overturn Measure 36, but our Congressional delegation should take the lead to overturn DOMA. The Obama Administration, while not taking as firm a stance as it should, has declared DOMA unconstitutional. It's time for Congress to establish marriage equality as a matter of Federal law.

Sincerely,

Ethan Jones