Union members praise Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage

Union members are lauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, paving the way for the federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

In a separate 5-4 ruling, also announced Wednesday, the court dismissed an appeal by opponents of marriage equality of a lower court decision that found California’s Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The dismissal of the appeal means that same-sex couples in California can begin getting married again.

Darren Phelps, executive director of Pride At Work, called it a “historic day.” Pride At Work is a nonprofit organization and officially recognized constituency group of the AFL-CIO whose mission is to organize mutual support between the labor movement and the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community.

“For LGBT workers, the DOMA decision means that married couples must be treated as married in accordance with the laws in their state,” Phelps said. “Marriage equality is about treating all couples with respect, but it also has major financial and legal impacts that will allow more same-sex couples to more effectively support their families.

“We will continue efforts to win marriage equality in more states, but there are also vital issues remaining for the LGBT community—our lives are about more than marriage. This has been a monumental week, from yesterday’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act to today’s phenomenal action striking down DOMA. All of our communities must and will continue working together for the rights of all people, be it voting rights, marriage equality or continuing the fight to end employment discrimination.”

This article is adapted from a report on the national AFL-CIO news blog.

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