The Don't-Miss Moments From the DOMA Hearing

Susan Murray, a Vermont attorney who testified about her marriage as well as her clients who inequities faced by her same-sex couples clients legally married in the state:



"My parents taught us right from wrong; they taught us to treat others with kindness; and they taught us to be fair, and to speak up for what’s right. My parents were devoted to their kids, and to helping us become successful, well-adjusted adults. They were married for 51 years before my dad died, six years ago.

"That was my model for a successful marriage, and growing up, that was the kind of marriage I aspired to have in my own life. So when I realized, as a young adult, that I was gay, I despaired of ever having a life, and a love, like that of my parents.

"But then I met a woman named Karen Hibbard — and I count myself blessed to have found love in my life. She’s a physician assistant who works in emergency walk-in care at our local hospital, stitching people up and fixing their broken bones and generally helping them get the care they need. ...

"Karen and I have built a life together, and are as committed to one another as my parents were to each other. And thanks to the legislature of the state of Vermont, we’re now officially, legally married. Unfortunately, because of DOMA, the federal government doesn’t’ recognize our legal marriage, so Karen and I don’t have access to the same federal protections that my parents had."