BOSTON, JULY 8, 2010 — Statement by MassEquality Interim Executive Director Paula Herrington on Judge Tauro’s ruling today in Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Health and Human Services

“This is a tremendous victory and we congratulate our partners at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office for their successful litigation of these cases. Married couples in Massachusetts are treated differently based on their sexual orientation. One set of them have access to the 1,000-plus benefits of marriage offered by the federal government, and the other set, those who happen to be married to someone of the same sex, do not. That’s unfair and it’s a classic example of unequal treatment under the law. We are pleased with Judge Tauro’s decision in Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Health and Human Services and hope that the ruling paves the way to a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

“At the same time, we note the irony of the timing of Judge Tauro’s decision. Earlier this week, on Monday, Hawaii Governor Laura Lingle vetoed a civil unions bill passed by the Hawaii legislature that would have given same-sex couples in Hawaii access to the state benefits of marriage. Of course, it was the marriage movement in Hawaii in the mid-1990s that spurred Congress to pass the Defense of Marriage Act in the first place.

“It will take time, but we will see full marriage equality for LGBT people in every state in this country, and under federal law. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, the arc of the moral universe is long, but Judge Tauro’s decision today helped bend it toward justice.”

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MassEquality works to achieve full equality for the LGBT Community. We're protecting marriage equality and promoting a full Equality Agenda in Massachusetts and supporting other states in winning marriage equality.