APA praises Congress for enacting marriage equality

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

67% : APA has supported legal benefits for same-sex couples since 1997 and civil marriage for same-sex couples since 2004.
56% : "The American Psychological Association is gratified that Congress has passed a bill that will codify marriage equality for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or race," said APA President Frank C. Worrell, PhD. "APA has long been a strong advocate for marriage equality, based on the psychological research indicating that marriage provides substantial psychological and physical health benefits due to the moral, economic and social support extended to married couples.
55% : Washington -- The American Psychological Association applauded Congress for passing the Respect for Marriage Act, noting that psychological science supports marriage equality.
50% : In California, the APA brief was cited by the state Supreme Court when it ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in May 2008.
47% : The measure also repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1996, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman and allowed states to decline to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
44% : In addition, APA filed briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court cases challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (U.S. v. Windsor) and in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.
43% : APA has adopted policy statements, lobbied Congress in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act and the Federal Marriage Amendment, and filed amicus briefs supporting same-sex marriage in lawsuits in Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, New York (three times), Maryland, Connecticut, Iowa, New Mexico and California.
30% : Conversely, empirical evidence has illustrated the harmful psychological effect of policies restricting marriage rights, particularly for same-sex couples."

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