On March 16, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced a bill to the House that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). It's called the Respect For Marriage Act (HR 1116) and it's currently in committee. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate with the same name (S 598) on the same day. And President Barack Obama wants us to know he's behind this bill all the way.

At a briefing on Tuesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney finally gave us the president's opinion. Carney said President Obama has “long called for a legislative appeal for the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which continues to have a real impact on families,” and that the president “is proud” to stand behind the bill that would repeal DOMA if passed. Whatever President Obama's personal views on same-sex marriage, he is in full support of a repeal of DOMA.

“I think eyes have opened,” Feinstein said. “More and more people across this land know people who are gay, who want to have a lasting relationship, who look at marriage as an economic agreement as well as an emotional agreement.”