Massachusetts Sues Federal Government Over Same-Sex Marriage Definition

The state of Massachusetts is suing the federal government over a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and thereby interfering with that state's right extend the definition of marriage to include lesbian and gay couples, according to AP.

Martha Coakley, the State Attorney General, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Boston stipulating the federal Defense of Marriage Act interferes with the right of Massachusetts to
define marriage as it sees fit.

While Massachusetts was the first state to allow gay marriage, the federal law which passed in 1996 denies recognition of gay marriage on a federal level.

This is the second lawsuit filed in Massachusetts challenging the law, the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders had already sued over the federal law on the grounds that it not only discriminates against gay couples but is as well unconstitutional because it denies them access to federal benefits that other married couples receive.