<p><div><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; ><strong>Washington DC &mdash;</strong>The Leadership of DignityUSA applauds the vote today of the United States Senate in voting down an attempt to write discrimination against same-gender couples into the U.S. Constitution through the Federal Marriage Amendment.</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >DignityUSA has joined scores of civil rights religious organizations and government leaders across the political spectrum in opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment as an unprecedented discriminatory action with sweeping consequences. The leaders and members of DignityUSA adopted a resolution on same-gender marriage in August 2003 stating:</p></div><blockquote><div><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >&quot;As Americans we remind our fellow citizens of a foundational principle of our form of government: all are created equal. Consistent with the pursuit of liberty and justice for all same-sex couples should have full and equal access to the rights and responsibilities bestowed by civil marriage.</p></div><div><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >&quot;As Catholics we remind our Church of a foundational conviction of our faith: God is love and all who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them. The love that brings and binds two people of the same or opposite sex together has a divine source. It is therefore sacramental in nature and should be celebrated as such by our Church.&quot;</p></div></blockquote><div><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >&ldquo;Justice has beaten back partisanship and political games in this election year&rdquo; stated Matthew Gallagher Executive Director of DignityUSA. &ldquo;The Senate has done the honorable thing by preventing any affirmation of this discriminatory and divisive effort. Despite intense lobbying by religious leaders the Senate wisely applied the principle of the separation of church and state in this matter.&rdquo;</p></div><div><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >&ldquo;We&rsquo;re especially pleased that the usually influential support of the Catholic bishops was unsuccessful in this shameful bid for official discrimination&rdquo; Gallagher continued.</p></div><div><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; ><em>DignityUSA is the nation's foremost organization of gay lesbian bisexual and transgender Catholics their families friends and supporters. Founded in 1969 it is an independent nonprofit organization with members and chapters across the country.</em></p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; ><em>DignityUSA works for full inclusion of gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people in the life of the Church and Society.&nbsp;<a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51 0 102); text-decoration: underline; href=http://www.dignityusa.org/>www.dignityusa.org</a></em></p></div></p>