Attention Delaware residents: Unlike most states, Delaware does not simply prohibit or refuse to recognize same-sex marriage. Delaware law says that a same-sex couple from Delaware who gets legally married in another state then returns to Delaware to live can be arrested, fined, or even jailed. To review the Delaware Code for yourself, see
http://delcode.delaware.gov/title13/c001/sc01/index.shtmlSame-sex couples who get married in another state should not be treated as criminals. You do not need to support same-sex marriage in Delaware to be outraged by the unfairness of this law.
If you are resident of Delaware, please sign this petition, and pass it along for others to sign. Your signature does not indicate your stance on same-sex marriage: You can be adamantly in support of or opposed to same-sex marriage, or anywhere in between. Your signature simply tells our lawmakers that you feel that Delaware couples who marry elsewhere should not be treated as criminals when they return home.
We the undersigned ask for you to decriminalize same-sex marriage in Delaware. Currently, Delaware is only one of two states where same-sex marriage is not simply prohibited, it is treated as a criminal offense.
Most Delawarians believe that our law simply prohibits same-sex couples from marrying in Delaware and does not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Most Delawarians, even those who oppose same-sex marriage, do not support making it a criminal offense for Delaware citizens to get married in another state then return to their home in Delaware.
Most Delawarians do not believe that same sex couples who get married in another state should have to live with the possibility of being arrested, fined, or even jailed.
We ask you to modify Delaware's DOMA law so that Delaware citizens who choose to get married in another state, even knowing that it is not recognized or considered valid in Delaware, are not treated as criminals by Delaware law.
Thank you for your time and for your consideration of our request.
