FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2013
PORTLAND – In an historic win for marriage equality, the Supreme Court today struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and others. The ACLU of Maine will be joined by same-sex couples and community partners for a celebration and press conference today at 5:00 p.m. at Portland City Hall.
The ACLU represented Edie Windsor in United States v. Windsor, a challenge to Section 3 of DOMA. Windsor was forced to pay more than $363,000 in federal estate taxes after her beloved spouse Thea Spyer died in 2009. Edie and Thea were together for 44 years; after a decades-long engagement, they were finally able to legally marry two years before Thea’s death.
“In November the voters of Maine took a stand for fairness when they said that all loving, committed couples should be able to get married in this state. Now, those couples will finally be able to enjoy the full benefits of marriage, ” said Shenna Bellows, executive director of the ACLU of Maine. “This is a wonderful victory for Edie Windsor and for all married couples and their families, and the beginning of the end of official discrimination against same-sex couples everywhere.”
With the overturn of DOMA, the federal government will now recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples in the state of Maine. There are more than 1100 places in federal laws and programs where being married makes a difference – from eligibility for family medical leave, to social security survivor’s benefits, to access to health care for a spouse.
WHAT:
Press Conference and celebration following the Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor to strike down DOMA
WHO:
Emcee: Jill Barkley, ACLU of Maine public policy advocate
Speakers will include representatives of the ACLU of Maine, EqualityMaine, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Maine Women’s Lobby, SAGE Maine, and the Religious Coalition Against Disrimination (RCAD); and married couples from around the state.
The ACLU represented Edie Windsor in the case before the Supreme Court.
WHEN:
Tonight, June 26, 2013
5:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Front steps of Portland City Hall
**IN CASE OF RAIN, EVENT WILL BE MOVED TO STATE OF MAINE ROOM
Portland, Maine
