FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2004

Bush Endorses the Federal Marriage Amendment

GLAD Responds to President Bush Endorsement of the Federal Marriage Amendment

(BOSTON, MA) Today, President Bush endorsed a constitutional amendment that would forever deny the basic rights and protections of marriage to American gay and lesbian couples and their children. During a press conference, Bush announced that this move would amend the constitution to simply “define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.”

“The President’s position, while not unexpected, is deeply disturbing. The leader of our country wants to enshrine direct discrimination into the United States Constitution,” said Margaret Williams, Interim Executive Director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD). “By endorsing the amendment Bush is calling for permanent unequal status for a group of American citizens. These are citizens who have done nothing wrong except other than ask to be regarded as equals. Equal justice under the law is what I thought this country is about.”

The federal anti-gay amendment would have the potential to deny over 1,000 protections and rights rights to same-sex couples, leave thousands of children vulnerable because their parents are not protected under the law, and write discrimination into our Constitution by treating gay and lesbian citizens differently.

GLAD represented the seven same-sex couples who won an historic court victory ending marriage discrimination on November 18, 2003 in Massachusetts. Additional informational about this unprecedented ruling and the gay and lesbian couples involved can be found on GLAD.org.