In a major advancement for the LGBT community and gay rights activists, President Obama determined that a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act — Section 3, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman — is unconstitutional. He's also instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the law in federal court, though members of Congress may continue to do so. The decision was announced by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in a letter to Congress.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2011.