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class="RubricLk-gRWSOU fgWnkQ bric__lk" href="/news/news-sk"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">News Dk</span></a></div></div></div><h1 data-ttid="ContentHearHed" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearHed-NCyCC iUEiRd NbxED hpJvIc">Why Bill Clton Signed the Defense of Marriage Act</h1></div><div class="ContentHearAccredatn-lfctVB cKRKZx ntent-hear__accredatn" data-ttid="ContentHearAccredatn"><div class="ContentHearByle-kmPyCa gvUmxJ"><div class="ContentHearByleContent-dpPmNn DRFq"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl ContentHearByl-cZqgyJ bqbBYQ"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH ivtvgj byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss byle__preamble">By </span><a class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM ByleLk-gEnFiw iUEiRd ggMZaT cXqSTL eErqIx byle__name-lk button" href="/ntributors/richard-soris">Richard Soris</a></span></span></p></div><time data-ttid="ContentHearPublishDate" dateTime="2013-03-08T01:56:34-05:00" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearPublishDate-eIBicG iUEiRd kYZrFA kEBrdf">March 8, 2013</time></div></div></div></div></div></hear></div><div data-attribute-verso-pattern="article-body" class="ArticlePageContentBackGround-cNiFNN kbAoLA article-body__ntent"><div class="ActnBarWrapperContent-lasBkU cAHp"><div class="ActnBarWrapperComponent-cjwxLS bEeSLb"><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="ActnBarWrapper-dhxmQh kNjTbQ viewport-monor-anchor"><button id="bookmark" aria-label="Save this story" class="ActnBarButton-dyFOZU hQrwCF bookmark large-screen"><span class="ActnBarSendaryButtonPrimaryIn-isbvyN cAwccV bookmark-button-in"><svg class="in in-bookmark" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>Save this story</tle><path 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3H20V0H19V3H16V4H19V7H20V4H23V3Z"></path></svg></span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ActnBarButtonText-bYXYuh iUEiRd bkefvo gkccfO">Save this story</span></button></div></div></div><div class="LightboxWrapper-dxsWBV hhylRt"><div class="ArticlePageChunksContent-etcMtP bwyLBj"><div data-ttid="ArticlePageChunks" class="ArticlePageChunks-fLyCVG gBDqlf"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa EOneK body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><div class="GenericCalloutWrapper-tojWn iHBnEl llout--has-top-borr set-embedd-le" data-ttid="GenericCallout"><figure class="AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed"><div class="AssetEmbedAssetContaer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-ntaer"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO KhjZz AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset rponsive-image rponsive-image--expandable"><noscript><img alt="Why Bill Clton Signed the Defense of Marriage Act" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src=" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w, 1280w, 1600w, 1920w, 2240w" siz="100vw"/></noscript></picture></span></div></figure></div><p>It is extremely rare for former Prints to adm mistak ma office, and rarer still for one to disavow a major piece of legislatn. That’s partly why <a href=">Bill Clton’s op-ed the Washgton <em>Post</em></a> llg the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act—a law that he signed—“patible wh our Constutn,” and askg the Supreme Court to overturn , is so important.</p><p class="paywall">The say, a Clton associate told me, was Clton’s own ia; he wrote out himself longhand on a legal pad. As his former Whe Hoe adviser on gay-rights, I was not surprised by the msage. But Clton’s willgns, jt twenty days before two gay-rights s go to the Supreme Court, to publicly ll <em class="small">DOMA</em> discrimatory is a big step, even if his ments stopped short of the full apology some have asked for.</p><div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--article-mid-ntent" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--article-mid-ntent nsumer-marketg-un__slot---ntent"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><p class="paywall">But the op-ed leav a polil mystery tact. Clton, though clearly unhappy wh the law today, do not really expla why he signed , other than to say “ was a very different time.” Perhaps that is explanatn enough. Still, how was that Bill Clton, the first Print to champn gay rights, put his name on one of the most discrimatory anti-gay statut Amerin history?</p><p class="paywall">The simple answer is that he got boxed by his polil opponents, and that his mpaign posns on gay rights ran ahead of public opn. But there was another important factor: a failure to image how quickly gay rights would evolve, and how difficult would be to undo the damage that <em class="small">DOMA</em> did.</p><p class="paywall">When Bill Clton first ran for Print over twenty years ago, he was the first ndidate for natnal office to seek and receive support om an anized gay polil muny, which was self new to Printial polics. In 1992, after twelve years of Republin ntrol of the Whe Hoe, the feral ernment had neglected fundg the battle agast the quickly burgeong <em class="small">AIDS</em> epimic. Clton was sympathetic; bee of his tert civil rights generally, and long iendships wh gay and <em class="small">AIDS</em> activists, he was then one of the natnal policians most nversant on gay-equaly issu.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Durg that mpaign, May of 1992, as ernor of Arkansas, Clton spoke at the first large-sle Printial mpaign event for gay and lbian supporters, Wt Hollywood, California. He gave an emotnal speech largely focsed on the <em class="small">AIDS</em> crisis, which he spoke of the moral sts to the untry of ignorg those sufferg om the disease. Gay men wh <em class="small">AIDS</em> had been dyg at a stunngly rapid rate. Their fai, iends, and retakers had, many s, shunned them, and so had natnal lears. In ntrast, Clton said, “I want to give you my thanks for that stggle…,” and nclud, “I have a visn and you’re a part of . I believe we’re all a part of the same muny and we’d better start behavg as if we are.”</p><p class="paywall">Clton won the enthiastic support of gays and lbians the 1992 electn. For the first time, ntributns om gay Amerins factored signifintly mpaign fundraisg. Gays and lbians fally had a Print who clud them rhetorilly the natnal policy bate.</p><p class="paywall">But soon after Clton took office, 1993, was apparent that his tenure was off to a rocky begng. The early days of the Admistratn were marred by opposn wh the ary and the Democratic Party self to Clton’s ia of gays and lbians servg openly the uniformed armed forc. The Whe Hoe was unprepared to shepherd a major social-policy change through Congrs. The Senate Armed Servic Commtee chairman, Sam Nunn, a Democrat om Geia, led opposn to Clton’s gay-rights policy, workg behd the scen wh General Col Powell, who was a Bh-holdover as Chairman of the Jot Chiefs of Staff. The so-lled Don’t Ask Don’t Tell promise was born: gays and lbians would be allowed to serve so long as they kept their sexual orientatn secret. Gay-rights advot were outraged that Clton had agreed to a bad promise, but at this pot, the sprg of 1993, was clear that the Print was gog to lose this battle. (Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, fact, turned out to be a policy and personnel disaster.)</p><p class="paywall">After what was regard as a fias on gays the ary, the Admistratn entered a phase of ep reluctance to tackle substantive gay-rights issu on the natnal stage. Although Clton ma a number of first-ever, high-profile appotments of gay lears to his team (I was one of the mor on), any kd of gay-rights policy agenda seemed stalled as a rult of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell haner.</p><p class="paywall">As Republins prepared for the 1996 Printial electn, they me up wh what they thought was an extremely clever strategy. A gay-rights lawsu Hawaii was gag prs verage as an ial seri of prelimary urt lgs suggted that gay marriage might be legally nceivable there. Clton was on the rerd opposg marriage equaly. But Republins Congrs believed that he would still veto legislatn banng feral regnn of otherwise valid same-sex marriag, givg them a mpaign issue: the fense of marriage.</p><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><p class="paywall">What Republins had not unted on, though, was jt how adverse the Admistratn had bee, pecially an electn year, to gettg ahead of public opn on gay rights after havg had to backtrack on open ary service.</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><asi class="PersistentAsiWrapper-VGrR daRVRt persistent-asi" style="posn:absolute;top:to;height:to" data-ttid="PersistentAsiWrapper"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="69wb5"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></asi></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan full-bleed-ad row-mid-ntent-ad"><div class="StickyMidContentAdWrapper-fSBzwl drzyIa ad-stickymidntent"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--mid-ntent should-hold-space"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--mid-ntent" data-no-id="yn7ig"></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa EOneK body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><p class="paywall">On May 23, 1996, as <em class="small">DOMA</em> began s rapid journey through Congrs, the New York <em>Tim</em> <a href=">reported</a>:</p><blockquote class="BlockquoteEmbedWrapper-sc-SdiGL jPeLne paywall blockquote-embed"><div class="BlockquoteEmbedContent-RbGs gmbtPx blockquote-embed__ntent"><p>Gee Stephanopoulos, a senr Printial adviser who has overseen the issue, said: “It’s wrong for people to e this issue to monize gays and lbians and ’s pretty clear that that was the tent tryg to create a buzz on this issue. But the fact remas that if the legislatn is acrd wh the Print’s stated posn, he would have no choice but to sign .</p></div></blockquote><p class="paywall">That was a b of a bombshell, but laid an tentnal marker. The lumnist Frank Rich, then wrg for the <em>Tim</em>, <a href=">wrote</a> that, “The bill also forc Mr. Clton, who says he oppos both same-sex marriage and anti-gay discrimatn, to a rner…. He’s prumably prayg will never reach his sk.”</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-2 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Insi the Whe Hoe, there was a genue belief that if the Print vetoed the Defense of Marriage Act, his reëlectn uld be jeopardy. There was a heated bate about whether this was a realistic asssment, but beme clear that the Print’s chief polil advisers were not willg to take any chanc. Some the Whe Hoe poted out that <em class="small">DOMA</em>, once enacted, would have no immediate practil effect on anyone—there were no state-sanctned same-sex marriag then for the feral ernment to ignore. I remember a Printial adviser sayg that he was not about to risk a send term on a veto, however noble, that wouldn’t change a sgle thg nor make a sgle person’s life better.</p><p class="paywall">What we didn’t fully prehend was that, sooner than anyone imaged, there would be thoands of fai who would be harmed by <em class="small">DOMA</em>—nied feral benefs, regnn, and secury, or kept apart by immigratn laws.</p><p class="paywall">Durg the mpaign season, Clton would sometim pla publicly about how the Republins were g the marriage issue agast him. He said, risively, that was “hardly a problem that is sweepg the untry” and his prs secretary lled “gay bag, pure and simple.” And that September, when the Defense of Marriage Act was passed, Print Clton signed .</p><p class="paywall">There are no pictur of this ocsn—no pens that were saved. My advice to the people who arranged for the thgs was to get done and out of the way as quickly as possible; he signed late at night one eveng after returng om a day-long mpaign trip.</p><p class="paywall">The Defense of Marriage Act beme law, and Print Clton was reëlected, aga wh overwhelmg support om gay Amerins. He was enthiastilly endorsed by the natn’s leadg gay polil group, the Human Rights Campaign, which had urged him to veto the legislatn. They had lled <em class="small">DOMA</em> “a Bob Dole for Print publicy stunt.” (There was a small dtup durg the later stag of the mpaign when a Clton-related mtee ran a rad ad the South, heraldg the enactment of the legislatn. The ad was quickly pulled.)</p><p class="paywall">Was realistic to thk that a Printial veto of <em class="small">DOMA</em> would have put Clton’s reëlectn jeopardy? At the time I thought not. But 1996 ls than thirty per cent of Amerins supported gay marriage, and even eight years after that, 2004, Print Gee W. Bh ed gay marriage extremely effectively as a wedge issue agast John Kerry, who at the time only supported civil unns. In fact, many believe that was the Bh mpaign’s very strategic placement of anti-gay-marriage state nstutnal ballot iativ throughout morate and nservative leang stat (like Oh) which brought out nservative Bh voters and rried the day for him that electn. Could siar tactics have been ed wh the same effectivens 1996? Obvly, we will never know.</p><p class="paywall">Had there been a Print Dole, none of the advanc Print Clton acplished his send term for gay equaly would have been possible. Fundg for H.I.V. and <em class="small">AIDS</em> would have no doubt been cut. A <em class="small">DOMA</em> veto would likely have been overridn anyway, and so even if Print Clton had been reëlected, we would still have had the Defense of Marriage Act.</p><p class="paywall">After his reëlectn, Print Clton beme nsirably bolr on gay-rights issu. He beme the first Print history to endorse gay-rights legislatn by announcg his support for a new feral hate-crim statute that clud sexual orientatn. He supported legislatn banng employment discrimatn agast gays. He ntued, and even stepped up, appotments of openly gay Amerins to important Admistratn posns, cludg the recs appotment of Jam Hormel as the first openly gay Ambassador. He signed an executive orr banng sexual-orientatn discrimatn the feral civilian workforce, leadg the way for much of rporate Ameri to follow.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-3 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">A later, 2009, when Clton fally endorsed same-sex marriage, he mented, an terview wh Anrson Cooper, “So I said, you know, I realized that I was over sixty years old, I grew up at a different time, and I was hung up about the word. I had all the gay iends, I had all the gay uple iends, and I was hung up about . And I cid I was wrong…. I had an untenable posn. ”</p><p class="paywall">What are the lsons of the Defense of Marriage Act? Perhaps the cleart one is that if you promise on prciple, on the assumptn that the world will never tch up wh your ials, you will likely e to regret . Marriage equaly was not some pletely far-off visn; was somethg that uld be achieved. Clton never believed that the feral ernment had the right to discrimate. The harr qutn is this: When is wng the most important thg? Would a veto, retrospect, have been worth the risk?</p><p class="paywall"><em>Richard Soris is an attorney, polil strategist, wrer, and longtime gay-rights advote. He served as Whe Hoe Special Assistant and Senr Adviser durg the Clton Admistratn.</em></p><p class="paywall"><em>Bill Clton shak hands wh members of gay-rights groups after a speech 1992. Douglas C. Pizac/AP.</em></p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="zawy9"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 PaywallInleBarrierWhWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__le-barrier article__body"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"><asi class="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper-iBnuqk lfXXa-D" data-ttid="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper"><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--paywall-le-barrier" role="prentatn" aria-live="pole" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--paywall-le-barrier"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></asi></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ContentWrapperGrid-fvkmBv brYtrA grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__ntaer"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"></div></div></div></div></div></div></article><div class="ContentFooterWrapper-jVNdRG dTJkpP ArticlePageContentFooterGrid-ccsXYy eMZRHU article-body__footer"><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="ContributorsWrapper-eNpWFu GWFsc ntributors" data-ttid="Contributors"><div class="ContributorBWrapper-bnVHbt gMon"><div class="ContributorBContent-ubQdr jZTSSi"><div class="ContributorBHear-ledood XOIEx"></div><div class="ContributorBB-fBolsO giFhKz"><a href="/ntributors/richard-soris">Richard Soris</a> is an attorney and longtime gay-rights advote. He served the Whe Hoe durg the Clton Admistratn and has also been a polil strategist. He now overse public affairs at GLG. Opns exprsed here are only his own.</div><div class="ContributorBFooter-brqDlv ezUmSv"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"></div></div></div><div data-ttid="ContentFooterBottom" class="ContentFooterBottom-jwWZfC kcbyiW"><div class="ContentFooterNewsletterContentWrapper-bmjtna kixtae"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper-fCqqkN jKSBhE newsletter-subscribe-form ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper-fpMElW eglIBL"><h3 class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDangeroHed-kRwWjt feDzQf newsletter-subscribe-form__hed ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf">Daily</h3><div class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDek-kXonvc grEaES newsletter-subscribe-form__k">The bt of <i>The New Yorker</i> today, cludg sential reads, fictn, humor, and a peek behd the scen of our biggt stori.</div></div><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper-keARJE hVWbzr"><form class="form-wh-validatn NewsletterSubscribeFormValidatn-iCYa-Dt dweEln" id="newsletter" name="newsletter" novalidate="" method="POST"><span class="TextFieldWrapper-Pzdqp hNhevp text-field" data-ttid="TextFieldWrapper__email"><label class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TextFieldLabel-klrYvg iUEiRd stdEm fvoOvz text-field__label text-field__label--sgle-le" for="newsletter-text-field-email" data-ttid="TextFieldLabel__email"><div class="TextFieldLabelText-cvvxBl eeDYTb">E-mail addrs</div><div class="TextFieldInputContaer-jcMPhb oFrOs"><put type="email" aria-scribedby="privacy-text" aria-valid="false" id="newsletter-text-field-email" required="" name="email" placeholr="E-mail addrs" class="BaseInput-fAzTdK TextFieldControlInput-eFUxkf eGzzTT lglhcT text-field__ntrol text-field__ntrol--put" data-ttid="TextFieldInput__email"/></div></label><button class="BaseButton-bLlsy ButtonWrapper-xCepQ bqVKKv dwpimO button button--utily TextFieldButton-csBrgY edxbrw" data-event-click="{"element":"Button"}" data-ttid="Button" type="subm"><span class="ButtonLabel-cjAuJN hzwRuG button__label">Sign up</span></button></span><div id="privacy-text" tabx="-1" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDisclaimer-bTVtiV bsgLJZ"><span><p>By signg up, you agree to our <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">User Agreement</a> and <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement</a>. 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