Gay couples who have married in the last several years are watching anxiously as the Defense of Marriage Act, a law prohibiting their unions, faces a legal barrage in courts. Although the Obama administration opposes the law, non-U.S. citizen gay spouses remain at risk for deportation. The act also prohibits survivor benefits if one same-sex spouse dies. DOMA was passed back in 1996 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, but in the intervening years, five states and Washington, D.C. have legalized same-sex marriages, creating a murky marriage landscape for same-sex newlyweds.
