30 Days of Pride!

June 28: Congressman Adam Smith

Congressman Adam Smith has represented Washington state’s 9th district since 1997. Currently, he is the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services committee, and was an important ally in the fight to repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).

In the 112th Congress, Smith has co-sponsored a variety of LGBT-friendly bills such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), Student Non-Discrimination Act and the  Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO), among others.

This week, along with 12 co-sponsors, he introduced the Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act (MSET) of 2012, or H.R. 6046. The bill would redefine the term “spouse” in U.S. federal code, articles 10, 32, 37 and 38. The current definition does not allow the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide the same benefits to legally married same-sex, military couples, as it does to couples of the opposite sex.

In a statement released by Smith, “there is more that can be done to ensure that the rights of all of our service members and their spouse, regardless of whether they are of the same sex or opposite sex as the service member, are protected.”

SLDN is grateful for advocates like Congressman Smith, and others like him, who continue to stand up for equality and for LGBT servicemembers.

To learn more about MSET, click here.