Healey led the first successful state challenge to DOMA, was recently elected one of the first lesbian Governors in the country

BOSTON – Massachusetts Governor-elect and Attorney General Maura Healey, who recently made history when she was elected one of the country’s first lesbian Governors and Massachusetts’ first woman and LGBTQ person elected Governor, issued a statement following President Biden’s signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.

As Chief of the Civil Rights Division in the Attorney General’s Office, Healey led the country’s  first successful state challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act in 2009, paving the way for marriage equality nationwide. The Respect for Marriage Act repeals DOMA, as well as codifying other protections for LGBTQ+ couples.

“When we first challenged the Defense of Marriage Act, many people doubted that we would be successful. But we knew it was too important not to give it everything we had. We brought that case all the way to the Supreme Court and we won, laying the groundwork for marriage equality nationwide. I never imagined that more than a decade later, those rights that we fought so hard to secure would come under threat by extremists who want to roll back the progress we’ve made.

“That’s why the Respect for Marriage Act is so essential. It repeals DOMA once and for all. It guarantees that your marriage will be recognized and respected across the country, no matter who you love. I’m grateful to President Biden and Congressional leaders for seeing this through, and I’m especially grateful to all of the LGBTQ+ couples who shared their stories, made their voices heard and never gave up the fight for true equality. I’m also thinking of my co-counsel Mary Bonauto, a trailblazer who has led this fight for marriage equality, from Goodridge to the DOMA challenge to Obergefell and beyond. We did it.”