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mk  ·  4187 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: LGBT Fight starts in Michigan

    The federal gov't benefit has nothing to do with state recognition of marriage.

I think it does. The Feds decided that they would recognize some state definitions of marriage, and then benefit that. I got married in Michigan, and the Federal government uses that information to reward me. They exclude same-sex couples, because when the federal legislation was enacted, the states did too. It's not just restricted to federal tax law, either.

I should mention that I don't think this is just a federal issue due to federal benefits. I also think it's a federal issue because we are talking about US citizens that should be protected against discrimination, including state-sanctioned discrimination.