On Tuesday, Aug. 10th, the ABA House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed Resolution 111, urging “state, territorial, and tribal governments to eliminate all of their legal barriers to civil marriage between two persons of the same sex who are otherwise eligible to marry.”

The Section sponsored-resolution was supported by 27 official co-sponsors representing a wide variety of ABA entities and state and local bar associations, including the New York State Bar, which served as one of the resolution's two primary sponsors. Other cosponsors included: the ABA GP Solo Division, the ABA Young Lawyers Division, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Watch this video to hear the floor debate on Resolution 111.

Resolution 111 builds upon many other Section-sponsored resolutions opposing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons that have been adopted by the ABA House of Delegates, including:

• A 1989 resolution urging passage of statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
• A 1995 resolution opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in matters of child custody.
• A 2004 resolution opposing efforts to enact a federal constitutional amendment that would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriage.
• An August 2009 resolution urging repeal of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act; DOMA section 3 denies federal marital benefits and protections to lawfully married same-sex spouses.

Click here to view a copy of the full report with recommendation.

Created in 1966, the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities provides leadership within the ABA and the legal profession in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties, and social justice. The Section fulfills this role in two ways - by raising and addressing often complex and difficult civil rights and civil liberties issues in a changing and diverse society, and by ensuring that protection of individual rights remains a focus of legal and policy decisions. Read more...

Committee participation allows members of IR&R to become more deeply involved with the issues about which they care most. Each year the Section committees organize CLE and community programs, draft letters to government officials, and help shape official ABA policy. Learn more by exploring our committees webpage, or make your committee selection by completing the online form (section membership required).