Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Becomes First Republican to Cosponsor DOMA Repeal

[William769]

A bill to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act now has bipartisan support after Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida announced Friday that she would cosponsor the legislation, becoming the first Republican to do so.

“I voted against the constitutional amendment defining marriage so I’m pleased to cosponsor the repeal of DOMA and work with my colleagues on marriage equality,” said Ros-Lehtinen, who represents Florida’s 18th district, which includes South Beach, most sections of Miami, and the Florida Keys.

Though the south Florida representative has a long history of voting in favor of LGBT rights, her decision to join 124 House Democrats in cosponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act nevertheless is a bold move, given the Republican House leadership’s defense of DOMA in multiple legal challenges after the Obama administration announced in February it would no longer defend the law.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, original sponsor of the House DOMA repeal bill, called Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, “a tremendous ally in the world’s struggles for freedom and against oppression and discrimination.”

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/09/23/Ileana_Ros_Lehtinen_Becomes_First_Republican_to_Sponsor_DOMA_Repeal/

[LonePirate]

1. Just 93 more co-sponsors to go in the House! I suspect several other Dems support it, though.

[William769]

2. I agree.

I posted this to point out the fact that there is a crack in the damn (may be a very small one, but one neverless).

[UTUSN]

3. Well, broken clocks are right 2xDA; HITLER loved dogs; LIMBOsevic loves Xmas!1 n/t

[William769]

4. Well I love the Gay Community And I also love people that support this on a national level

unlike people that are evolving or says it should be left up to the States.

[bullwinkle428]

5. "South Beach & the Keys" : it usually doesn't take long to figure out

the ulterior motive when it comes to Republicans!

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. This will probably not sit well with some of the conservative Cuban-Americans,

So, yes, it's a brave position.

[Blasphemer]

7. A good thing

While Rep. Ros-Lehtinen is pretty conservative otherwise, and we'd hardly find agreement with her on most other issues, it is always a good thing when elected officials act outside of party lines in order to support important civil rights legislation. Would she be supportive if she was representing a different district? Perhaps not but, at the very least, it speaks to the strength of the voices in the LGBT community and its supporters.

[SpartanDem]

8. You have start somewhere

history is not on the oppostions side.