Senator Coons applauds step toward equality for same-sex partners of federal workers

A bill co-sponsored by Senator Coons to ensure same-sex partners of federal workers receive the same benefits as straight couples passed the Senate Homeland Security Committee by voice vote Wednesday.

The legislation, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, allows federal employees in same-sex domestic partnerships to receive the same benefits as heterosexual married couples, including health insurance, long-term disability, retirement and other benefits.

Chris is a strong advocate for civil rights and co-sponsored this legislation because he believes it is a matter of fundamental fairness. In addition, this bill helps the federal government compete with private sector companies for top talent. Nearly 10,000 private companies of all sizes provide benefits to domestic partners – including 60 percent of all Fortune 500 companies. Some 34,000 federal workers lived in committed same-sex partnerships in 2007.

This legislation was sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee.

Last week, Chris applauded President Obama’s statement of support for same-sex marriage, calling it “an important moment on the journey to equality.”

Senator Coons calls for equality for LGBT couples facing deportation

One day after President Obama announced in a historic interview that he supports same-sex marriage, Senator Chris Coons joined 16 of his Senate colleagues in urging the Administration to protect married LGBT couples facing deportation.

Chris and his colleagues called on the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to provide relief to same-sex couples in which one spouse is not a U.S. citizen. Chris believes that while the Defense of Marriage Act is being challenged in court, the denial of green card applications in these cases is unfairly forcing couples to choose between breaking the law or being separated from their families. He strongly opposes the Defense of Marriage Act and believes Congress should repeal this discriminatory law.

Led by Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the letter reads in part “We write to you to reiterate our request that the Administration provide relief for lesbian and gay families in which one spouse is not a U.S. citizen during this time of legal uncertainty…With marriage equality rights being extended to more and more citizens of this country, and with the Department of Justice’s repudiation of DOMA, we are concerned with the toll the continued denial of I-130 applications for same-sex immigrant spouses is exacting on families in this country.”

Along with Senator Coons and Senator Kerry, the letter was signed by Senators Patrick Leahy, Ron Wyden, Bernard Sanders, Jeff Merkley, Daniel Akaka, Al Franken, Charles Schumer, Frank Lautenberg, Barbara Mikulski, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Senator Coons on President Obama’s support for marriage equality

This afternoon, President Obama made a historic statement. In an interview with ABC News, he said “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

Senator Coons believes this is an important moment on the journey to equality. Chris is a member of the Senate Judiciary, a cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act and a strong advocate for civil rights. Today, he noted that this is “the first time a sitting president has endorsed the idea that every American, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to marry the person they love. Period.”

Chris recognized that for some Americans, the question of marriage equality is difficult to answer, saying “I respect that everyone comes to a position in their own way and in their own time.”

He complimented the President on his leadership on LGBT equality, which did not begin today. Previously President Obama ordered the federal government to extend key benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, banned discrimination based on gender identity in federal workplaces, signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, clarified the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure family leave for LGBT employees, endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act and declared the government would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act and repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell so gay and lesbian members of the military can serve their country openly and proudly.

As Chris said this afternoon, “President Obama is doing the right thing. By coming out for marriage equality today, he is sending a clear message: LGBT rights are human rights, and the right to marry the person you love is intrinsic to what it means to be an American. President Obama may be taking a huge political risk, but some risks are worth taking. That’s what leaders do.”

Senator Coons says marriage equality should be part of Democratic platform

Senator Coons last week voiced his support for the growing effort to make marriage equality a part of the official Democratic Party platform at this summer's convention, telling the Washington Blade:

Of course marriage equality should be a part of the Democratic Party platform. It should be a part of the Republican Party platform, too. Whom you love should have no bearing on your access to the equal rights due every American citizen. It is time the law recognizes what the majority of Americans already recognize is a human right: marrying the person you love. Democrats have led the way in significant marriage equality victories in the states these last few years, so for the Democratic Party to not include marriage equality in our platform now would be to miss an important opportunity to reinforce and strengthen our continued national leadership on the issue.

Senator Coons is a cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act and an outspoken supporter of marriage equality.

Commemorating Women’s History Month by recommitting to equality

Throughout the course of our nation’s history, women often had to struggle for equality on all fronts. March is Women’s History Month, and while we remember the heroic efforts of women who came before, we must also be mindful that there remains work to be done.

Thirty-nine years ago, the United States Supreme Court recognized a woman’s right to make her own decisions about starting a family and protecting her body. Some are still fighting, however, to roll back this right.

Instead of focusing on our economic recovery and creating jobs, some members of this Congress have chosen to prioritize legislation that would infringe on women’s access to health care services.

On Thursday, the first day of Women’s History Month, the Senate was forced to vote on an amendment introduced by Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri which would have allowed employers to take away preventive health care coverage from millions of women.

This amendment failed to pass – by a slim margin of 51-48 – and working women’s ability to access vital health services such as mammograms, contraception and prenatal care remains intact.

This month, and every month, we have an opportunity to recognize the wide range of contributions American women have made to our country. As we strive to form a more perfect union, we must remain committed to the cause of equality, indifferent to race, income, sexual orientation, and indeed, sex.

Senator Coons hails court ruling as step towards equality

Today, the California-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the state’s Proposition 8, which stripped the right to marry from gay and lesbian citizens of California, is a violation of citizens’ civil rights that cannot stand.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, an original cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act and an ardent support of equal rights, Senator Coons hailed the decision as a positive step toward equality.

“Today’s ruling by the 9th Circuit represents an important step forward in the struggle for equality for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation,” Chris said. “In reaching its decision, the three-judge panel recognized that the government has no legitimate role in taking away the rights of gays and lesbians to marry the person they love. I agree. It simply should not be the policy of government to discriminate against any of its citizens.”

Next, the decision may be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, where Chris hopes the California court’s ruling will be affirmed.

Click here to read Chris’ statement on today’s ruling.

Click here to read more about his work on equality.

What We’re Reading: LGBT persecution in Africa

From Agence France Presse: Writing on Sunday, AFP shines a spotlight on the discrimination and violence members of the LGBT community face in certain African countries. As a strong advocate of equality and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, Senator Coons believes LGBT rights are human rights. He has repeatedly called on African leaders to abandon efforts to criminalize homosexuality.

Until a new anti-homosexuality bill caused a wave of homophobia in Uganda, John and Paul could hold hands in the streets of the capital Kampala and kiss in night clubs.

Then the nightmare started -- people began insulting and then assaulting them, and then they had to run away to Kenya. The couple have been in Nairobi since May of last year.

Like other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, they came to this urban jungle seeking anonymity, explained the official running a programme that looks after these refugees.

His organisation, which last year alone looked after 67 LGBT cases in Kenya, did not want to be named for fear of endangering its refugees.

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have both stressed that fighting discrimination should be at the forefront of American diplomacy, a policy Chris strongly supports.

Click here to read the full article from AFP.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to advance civil rights. 

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

SOTU Analysis: Establishing fairness in workers’ wages

As part of his blueprint for a stronger American economy in the State of the Union, President Obama highlighted the importance of a highly skilled workforce where employees are compensated with equal pay for equal work, regardless of their sex.

“You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country,” President Obama said. “That means women should earn equal pay for equal work.  It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.”  

American women have made strides in not only entering into, but also advancing themselves in, a once male dominated skilled workforce. Yet, at a time when women outpace men in earning higher degrees of education, it’s alarming that women in the United States still earn an average of 78 cents to every dollar men earn.

Senator Coons, a supporter of gender equality, firmly believes that the promise of equal opportunity for those who wish to strive to their fullest economic potential is a cornerstone of this nation. That’s why he cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, which reforms procedures for enforcing the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and requires that any employer trying to justify paying a man more than woman for the same job must show that the disparity is not sex-based but is job-related and necessary for the business.  This legislation would also ensure that women can receive the same remedies for pay discrimination that are available under other laws for discrimination based on race and national origin, and it would enhance the collection of information on women’s and men’s wages in order to more fully explore the reasons for the wage gap and help employers in addressing pay disparities.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to advance civil rights issues. 

LGBT rights are human rights

Senator Coons, a strong advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, praised new directives from President Obama to federal agencies meant to ensure U.S. diplomatic and foreign-assistance efforts promote and protect the human rights of LGBT individuals. 

“LGBT rights are human rights, whether a person lives in the United States or abroad,” Chris said in a statement to the press on Tuesday.  “America’s foreign policy can and should be led by its values, and protecting the basic human rights of all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity is certainly one of them. President Obama has taken a strong stand today, making sure our policy matches our rhetoric. The targeting of individuals for criminal action based on sexual orientation and gender identity is unacceptable. The strategy the President laid out today confronts discrimination and human rights abuses against LGBT persons at multiple levels, strengthening the United States’ posture and making clear to nations that look to the U.S. for leadership and support that we are not going to stand for the reprehensible anti-LGBT policies emerging especially in developing nations.” 

“The United States’ diplomatic and development efforts play an important role in shaping the world. It’s not enough just to say that human rights shouldn’t be denied based on sexual orientation or identity — we must make sure our policies live up to our principles. I strongly support President Obama’s actions today, and look forward to working with the Administration to monitor their implementation.”

As chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, Chris has repeatedly called on African leaders to abandon efforts to criminalize homosexuality, including Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill in May, and the Nigerian Senate’s criminalization bill last month.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to advance civil rights. 

Statement on the California Proposition 8 court ruling

A longtime advocate of marriage equality, Senator Chris Coons released the following statement on Thursday  on the California Supreme Court ruling that sponsors of Proposition 8 have the legal right to defend the discriminatory ballot initiative in federal court:

"I understand that today's ruling by the California Supreme Court is a disappointment for many, especially for gay and lesbian Californians, who have already waited so long for marriage equality.  Proposition 8 is an unconscionably discriminatory measure, but the legal battle against it must go on.

"Proposition 8 may only directly impact California, but the questions it implicates are of national importance.  It has always been the case that the U.S. Supreme Court would eventually have to decide what our Constitution's promise of equality means for gay and lesbian Americans.  By allowing the proponents of Proposition 8 to continue their defense of that law, today's ruling by the California Supreme Court brings that day one day closer."

Chris commended those who have carried the challenge to Proposition 8 to this point, "You have built a strong record at the trial court that the reasons against marriage equality do not withstand scrutiny.  This record, which will form the basis of future court decisions, gives equality the best chance to prevail."

In August of 2010 a district court struck down Prop 8 — the California voter initiative passed in 2008 that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Because the State of California has refused to defend Prop 8, the 9th Circuit Court of appeals, a federal court, requested guidance from the California high court as to whether proponents of a state ballot measure have legal standing to do so in place of the state.

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