New York, NY - Congressman Charles B. Rangel released the following statement in response to a May 31st First Circuit Appeals Court ruling that declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional:

"I applaud this ruling by the First Circuit as an important step forward in ensuring political equality for LGBT Americans. The struggle for civil rights is ongoing, and I have long been a supporter of same-sex equality. The Defense of Marriage Act is just the latest in a long line of draconian laws that aim to force social opinions into people's lives. This law denies thousands of same-sex couples the same economic and civil rights as married couples, simply because they love differently.

I am glad that President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have refused to defend this unconstitutional law in federal court. It clearly violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. I hope that my Republican colleagues, especially those who advocate for protection of states rights, would stop trampling on the choices of local communities to set their own marriage policies."