HARTFORD, Conn. -
A win in federal court for a Vermont
couple fighting to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act-- the federal ban on
same-sex marriage.
We met Raquel Ardin and Lynda Deforge
two years ago, a few months after they married. The Vermont couple has been
together for three decades and is one of six couples who sued in federal court
in Connecticut, saying the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, violates their
constitutional rights because it denies them federal benefits.
Deforge had applied for time off from
her job at the U.S. Postal Service in White River Junction, so she could take
Ardin to medical appointments at the VA hospital in Connecticut, but was
denied.
Tuesday, a federal judge in
Connecticut ruled for the couples, agreeing that DOMA violates the equal
protection clause of the constitution because it denies federal benefits.
Same-sex marriage opponents may file
an appeal.
Related Story:
Vt. couple fights for federal recognition of their marriage
