Left

“This is a monumental turning point in the history of the quest for equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.”

— Jon Davidson, Lambda Legal, Defense & Education Fund

“The president’s leadership on this issue has forever changed the landscape for LGBT people in this country … This is the beginning of the end, not just for the mean-spirited and indefensible Defense of Marriage Act, but for the entire panoply of laws that discriminate against same-sex couples.”

— Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights

“This is a monumental decision for the thousands of same-sex couples and their families who want nothing more than the same rights and dignity afforded to other married couples. As the president has stated previously, DOMA unfairly discriminates against Americans and we applaud him for fulfilling his oath to defend critical constitutional principles.”

— Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign

“The decision by the Obama administration not to defend the discriminatory, so-called ‘Defense of Marriage Act’ is a tremendous step toward recognizing our common humanity and ending an egregious injustice against thousands of loving, committed couples who simply want the protections, rights and responsibilities afforded other married couples.”

— Rea Carey, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

Right

“It’s an outrage that the president and his attorney general would not only fail to defend the law, but actively side with those who seek to redefine marriage and label the majority of Americans as the equivalent of bigots motivated by ‘animus’ for believing marriage is the union of one man and one woman.”

— Alan Sears, Alliance Defense Fund

“There is absolutely no excuse beyond pandering to his liberal political base for President Obama’s decision to abandon his constitutional role to defend a federal law enacted overwhelmingly by Congress.”

— Tony Perkins, Family Research Council

“The Obama Administration has been sabotaging marriage in direct contradiction to his campaign promises. … Obama’s actions today are an unprecedented grab for power and perhaps the most audacious in the 235 year history of the American republic.”

— Andrea Lafferty, Traditional Values Coalition

“This is a truly shocking extra-constitutional power grab in declaring gay people are a protected class, and it’s also a defection of duty on the part of the President Obama … The good news is this now clears the way for the House to intervene and to get lawyers in the court room who actually want to defend the law, and not please their powerful political special interests.”

— Maggie Gallagher, National Organization for Marriage