Brody's Notes... White House Criticises Actions Taken By NC Legislators

The White House   Photo By Brody Levesque

By Brody Levesque | WASHINGTON D.C. -- In statement, Shin Inouye, Director of Specialty Media for the White House Office of Communications told the Washington Blade yesterday evening that the president opposes laws “designed to take rights away.” This was in response to the Blade's inquiry regarding the actions taken by both the Senate and House bodies of the North Carolina legislature which passed a proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage that the state's voters will decide to pass or reject next May.

Inouye, in his statement to the Blade said:

“The President has long believed that gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and legal protections as straight couples,” Inouye said. “That’s why he has called for repeal of the so-called ‘Defense of Marriage Act’ and determined that his Administration would no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts. He has also said that the states should determine for themselves how best to uphold the rights of their own citizens.

Inouye continued, “While the President does not weigh in on every single action taken by legislative bodies in our country, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples. The President believes strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away.”