US: Representative plants rainbow flag at Congress to support equal marriage

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On the first day of arguments around two cases around equal marriage at the US Supreme Court, an Orange Country Representative has flown the rainbow flag to show his support for marriage equality.

Representative Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, planted the rainbow gay pride flag outside of his congerssional office, next to the US flag and the State of California flag. .

“My intention is to fly this flag until marriage equality is the law of the land,” he said.

“Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act are oppressive and regressive policies that label a large group of my constituents as second-class citizens and deny hardworking Americans the freedom to love and marry whomever they choose… It should not take a Supreme Court justice to prove that love is love.”

He went on to say that he thought it might have been the first time the gay pride flag had been posted outside a member of Congress’ office in Washington, reports OC Register.

“I am honored to be the first and I am certain I will not be the last,” he said.

Each congressional office has space for three flags, a US and state flag, and a third chosen by the member of Congress. Representative Lowenthal has also hung the pride flag outside his district office at Long Beach.

The Supreme Court will also on Wednesday begin to consider an appeal against The Defense of Marriage Act, urged on by President Obama and even Bill Clinton, the former President who signed DOMA into US law.

Two Democratic Senators came out in support of same-sex marriage ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearings on the subject.

Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill already came out in support for marriage equality earlier on Monday, via a Tumblr post.

Aside from the Democrats to have come out as pro-equality, Republican Senator Rob Portman announced that he  endorsed same-sex marriage on 15 March.

The former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, officially announced her support for equal marriage in a moving speech last week in which she called moves towards equality “breathtaking and inspiring”.