Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled that states can no longer prohibit same-sex marriage:

“The issue of LGBT equality is very personal for me. I spent two decades as a supervisor and then mayor of San Francisco, when the city was at the forefront of bringing LGBT people out of the shadows. I watched firsthand as the community fought for legal recognition of their lives, relationships and personal dignity. I could not be more thrilled to share in their happiness on this historic day.

“The American people have come to recognize that loving, committed couples should be able to marry, regardless of sexual orientation. The Supreme Court has now recognized this as well. The court acknowledged that depriving same-sex couples the basic dignity, stability and security of legal marriage is not right—and in fact it is unconstitutional.

“I also want to congratulate those who have worked for so many years for this cause, and the thousands of families who sought equality under law. Your perseverance and hard work are an inspiration to me and to all Americans who wish to make a difference.

“Equality for LGBT Americans has been one of the defining civil rights issues of our time. I was one of only 14 senators to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Now that the Supreme Court has spoken, it is clear that all of DOMA is unconstitutional. Congress must now act to strike it from our laws once and for all. The only place where DOMA—and other discriminatory laws—belongs is in the history books.”

Feinstein has led the effort in Congress to achieve marriage equality. Since 2011, she has been the Senate sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and ensure that legally married couples are treated equally under federal law. In today’s Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, she led the effort in Congress to urge the court to find bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. She led a similar effort in 2011 when the federal Defense of Marriage Act was considered by the Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor.

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