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| Dear pearle, As we all know, legally married same-sex couples are denied access to more than one thousand federal rights normally afforded through marriage, putting our families at a disadvantage solely because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Needless to say we were floored when it was revealed that the Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding decided to voluntarily step up and defend DOMA in court on behalf of the U.S. House Republican leadership. The great irony here is that the firm's own website touts their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender attorneys along with their non-discrimination policies and domestic partner benefits. King & Spalding's defense of DOMA flies in the face of these expressed corporate values, which place a heavy emphasis on diversity. For the firm to say they value LGBT Americans while simultaneously raking in hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to argue against their equality is hypocrisy at its worst. We're going to make sure this hypocrisy does not go unnoticed by the American public. A majority of people oppose DOMA and support marriage equality – and they will recognize that by choosing to defend DOMA at $520 an hour, King & Spalding has put a price on their own integrity. We've already launched an aggressive educational campaign to shine the spotlight on the firm's affront to their own stated values. On Tuesday of next week I'm heading down to Atlanta – literally to King & Spalding's front door – to hold a press conference with local leaders calling out their hypocrisy and the harm that DOMA causes real people. We will make sure our message is heard loud and clear that no amount of money they might make will justify this type of outright discrimination Now I understand that members of the legal profession sometimes have an obligation to represent unpopular clients and take on unpopular cases – particularly in defending the disenfranchised individuals charged with crimes, and individuals whose civil liberties are in jeopardy. However, this is not one of those cases. King & Spalding could have easily declined to take this case, as thousands of fair-minded attorneys around the country would have done. Our message to law firms and corporations is that decisions have consequences. If you decide to support discrimination, then you had better be prepared to explain why to millions of fair-minded Americans. Finally, as many of you celebrate holidays this week, I wish you a happy and healthy weekend with the ones you love.
Joe Solmonese | ||||
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Friday, April 22, 2011
HRC Weekly Update from Joe Solmonese
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