The Defense of Marriage Act (so-named because it 'defends' marriage against gay people, you see) deals with somewhere around 1,138 marriage rights. The law says that the only valid definition of 'spouse' under federal law is someone in an opposite sex relationship. Some of the rights denied to LGBT people include:

# Right to benefits while married: * employment assistance and transitional services for spouses of members being separated from military service; continued commissary privileges * per diem payment to spouse for federal civil service employees when relocating * Indian Health Service care for spouses of Native Americans (in some circumstances) * sponsor husband/wife for immigration benefits # Larger benefits under some programs if married, including: * veteran's disability

* Supplemental Security Income

* disability payments for federal employees

* medicaid

* property tax exemption for homes of totally disabled veterans

* income tax deductions, credits, rates exemption, and estimates

* wages of an employee working for one's spouse are exempt from federal unemployment tax

As I've written before, it costs a whole lot of money to be gay in this country, and that's largely because of this law. Whether or not Congressional repeal is successful, the law needs to go away.