Same-Sex River Forest Couple Speaks Out Against Prop 8, DOMA

A same-sex River Forest couple and one of their children, Braiden, were featured in a Washington D.C. news conference last week to show support for the lawsuit against California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. 

Resident Lee Neubecker's husband, David, attended the conference with Braiden. They've been active in the campaign for marriage equality in Illinois, but this was their first participation in a national campaign.

They joined a coalition of organizations that filed amici curiae briefs in support of the plaintiffs challenging Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. Last week was the deadline to file such briefs.

READ MORE: Braiden Neubecker Tells Supreme Court 'My Two Dads Should be Able to Get Married.'

Lee's father, Mike Neubecker, signed the brief for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

“My wife and I are devout Christians, and marriage means so much to us that when our son Lee came out as gay we wanted to make sure that his love was recognized the same as ours,” Mike Neubecker said at the conference. “Lee and his husband David are entitled to a marriage full of life, love and family – and we want that for all couples.”

The Hollingsworth v. Perry case challenges the constitutionality of the Prop 8 legislation in California, which was enacted in November 2008 and eliminated the right for same-sex couples to marry in California.  The Windsor vs. United States case challenges Section 3 of DOMA, which was enacted by Congress in 1996 and nullifies the marriages of gay and lesbian couples for all purposes of federal law.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument in Perry on Tuesday, March 26, and in Windsor on Wednesday, March 27.

Leaders and representatives from national Republican, labor, business, health care, faith and military organizations joined with families from across the country to speak about why they filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the freedom to marry and against DOMA.

—Editor's note: This information was provided by the Respect for Marriage Coalition.