Within  the last few weeks, the governors of Washington and Maryland signed into law  bills giving legal recognition to same-sex marriages, and a federal district  court judge ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act  (DOMA) violates the Constitution’s equal protections clause.

If ever we had the momentum on our side to once and for all repeal  the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act it’s now.

Tell Congress it’s time to Dump DOMA now.

As more and more Americans live in states where marriage equality  is the law, it’s important to underscore the sharp reality that as long as those same-sex  married couples are being denied federal recognition,  they are still shut out from hundreds of rights and benefits that other married  couples enjoy.

PFAW launched our Dump DOMA campaign in December of 2008, and  since then, it’s been joined by nearly 165,000 people and there are bills in  both the House and the Senate to repeal the law that prevents even those  same-sex couples in states with marriage equality from truly enjoying the  rights, responsibilities and recognition that they and their relationships  deserve.

Please make sure you are on board at DumpDOMA.org.

The  Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA, has passed the Senate  Judiciary Committee, thanks to the energetic support of Senators Dianne  Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and others. Representative Jerrold  Nadler‘s (D-NY) companion bill has bipartisan support in the House and the  Obama administration supports repealing the law.

We  need to keep the pressure on Congress now more than ever.

Please  add your name to the petition now and then help spread the word.

Thank  you for your committed activism on behalf of fairness and equality — the American Way.

Sincerely, Michael Keegan, President