Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Lots of good news this week.

O'Donnell On Senate DOMA Debate

Sen. Chuck Grassley: My DOMA Witness Was Too Afraid Of Violent Gays To Testify

Think Progress has the transcript:

"The minority very much hoped to call a witness today at this hearing to testify in support of DOMA, I’m sure she would have done an excellent job. She declined, however, citing one reason the threats and intimidation that have been leveled not only her but her friends and family as a result of her support of DOMA. She will continue to write on the issue but will no longer speak publicly."

How convenient!

DOMA DEBATE: Sen. Al Franken PWNS Focus On The Family

Video courtesy of Think Progress.

LIVE VIDEO: Senate DOMA Debate

UPDATE: The live stream has concluded.

TODAY: Senate Considers DOMA Repeal

The U.S. Senate will today begin debate on the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Among those scheduled to testify are a long list of gay Americans who've suffered under DOMA.

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a bill that would do that and — for the first time — give federal benefits to same-sex couples who marry. Those benefits would have made a big difference for Ron Wallen of Indio, Calif., who spent more than half a century with Tom Carrollo. Carrollo died in March after a long illness, a few months shy of their third wedding anniversary. Now Wallen's not only grieving for his husband, but he's also facing financial chaos. "It's hard to accept that it's the American government that's throwing me out of my family home," Wallen told NPR. Under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, a marriage must be between a man and a woman. So Wallen is not entitled to get his husband's small monthly pension or his Social Security survivor's benefits, which are double the payments Wallen gets on his own.

Yesterday President Obama endorsed the repeal attempt, which of course has virtually no chance of passage in the U.S. House.

House Reaffirms DOMA

Yesterday the U.S. House meaninglessly voted 248-175 to affirm DOMA as the law of the land. The Human Rights Campaign notes:

“This amendment is completely unnecessary and only serves to cloud the debate over ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal by pointlessly injecting the issue of marriage equality into the conversation. Since Pentagon officials have made it clear that they are bound by DOMA like every other federal agency, it’s puzzling why Rep. Foxx would question whether our military leaders understand this point. “House Republican leaders seem to have no end to their desire to play politics with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people instead of tackling real problems. It will be up to the Senate to reject the House’s return to using LGBT Americans as a wedge issue.”

CNN On Gay Deportations

And the recent good news on that front.

Elaine Donnelly On DOMA & DADT

Elaine Donnelly of the anti-gay Center for Military Readiness is backing a bill that bans federal policy changes that violate DOMA.

"The reason this [amendment] is necessary is because the Department of the Navy, in particular, has already signaled that contrary to assurances given to Congress, they are quite prepared to start conducting same-sex marriages on military bases -- which would, for the sake of consistency, lead to the extension of benefits to these same-sex couples," says Donnelly." And the Defense of Marriage Act would preclude that, she argues. "In fact, the extension of benefits to same-sex couples on the same basis as opposite-sex couples probably could blow a hole in the Department of Defense budget."

The bill, coauthored by wingnut GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx and GOP Rep. Dan Burton, has no real shot of passage in the Senate.

FRC Issues "Emergency" DOMA Plea

Embiggen the above image and taste the desperation!

CALIFORNIA: Three Marines Face Charges In Alleged Marriage Scam

Three Marine corporals stationed at Camp Pendleton are facing charges over allegedly sham marriages created in part, those charged say, to evade the restrictions of DOMA.

The scam was hatched when a lesbian couple, one a Marine and the other a civilian, decided to live together off base, according to 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton. The female Marine found a male Marine willing to get married, allowing them to collect a $1,200 housing benefit, Dooley said. The civilian woman also eventually married a male Marine and collected government funds, according to officials.

The corporals, assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Camp Pendleton, will face fraud and larceny charges, Dooley said, adding that other charges could come later. It was not clear whether the civilian woman would face charges, but the military would not have jurisdiction in such a case, Dooley said. "It doesn't matter what their sexual preferences are, if they're violating the law and making fraudulent use of government money, they will be held accountable," Dooley said. In addition to the charges, the three Marines could have to pay back $75,000 to the military.

The female Marine, Cpl. Ashley Vice, told San Diego's KGTV-TV Friday that she and her partner, Jaime Murphy, were forced to enter sham marriages because the military does not provide allowances for unmarried couples and they couldn't afford to live off base without the extra money. She and her partner only wanted to "be a family," Vice said.

Only legally married military couples are eligible for the housing allowance. Thanks to DOMA, that will not change even with the repeal of DADT. The three Marines face a year in jail.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)