It’s been a busy week for gays. Pres. Obama’s Justice Department announced Wednesday that they would no longer ask courts to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, a 90s-era bill that prevents the federal government from recognizing gay couples’ marriages. Although tens of thousands of gays are legally married in states like California, Iowa, and Connecticut, the federal government considers them “just friends.” That translates into hardships like extra tax burdens, a risk of deportation for bi-national couples, the inability to sue for wrongful death, and over a thousand other things.

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