美国最高法院支持同性婚姻 同性伴侣可享平等福利

The Supreme Court’s first rulings on same-sex marriage produced historic gains for gay rights Wednesday: full federal recognition of legally married gay couples and an opening for such unions to resume in the nation’s most-populous state.

本周三，美国最高法院首次就同性婚姻作出判决，这意味着同性恋者权益取得了历史性进步：在美国人口最多的纽约州，同性伴侣得到联邦政府的承认，同性婚姻合法化。

But in striking down a key part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the court declared that gay couples married in states where it is legal must receive the same federal health, tax, Social Security and other benefits that heterosexual couples receive.

法庭驳回1996年《婚姻保护法》的关键内容，宣布在同性恋婚姻合法的州，同性恋必须享有和异性夫妻同样的医疗、税收、社会保险以及其他福利。

In turning away a case involving California’s prohibition of same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, the justices left in place a lower court’s decision that the ban is unconstitutional. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said he would order same-sex marriages to resume as quickly as possible.

美国最高法院驳回一宗涉及到被称为8号提案的加州同性婚姻禁令的案件，认为同性婚姻禁令违宪，并将其发回该州下级法院。州长杰瑞-布朗称他督促恢复同性恋伴侣结婚的权利。

The ruling means that same-sex marriage is now sanctioned in 13 states and the District of Columbia — a list representing more than a third of the population of the United States.

该判决意味着允许同性婚姻的州将增加至13个，再加上哥伦比亚特区，这超过美国总人口的三分之一。

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joined the court’s four liberals in declaring unconstitutional DOMA’s prohibition on federal recognition of legally married couples.

法官安东尼-肯尼迪和法庭的四为自由党党员一起，一同声明《婚姻保护法》关于联邦政府承认的合法夫妻的禁令是违反宪法的。

The decisions on the final day of the term set off a loud celebration in front of the court’s marble plaza and elsewhere in the country.

判决宣布的最后一天，一场大型的庆祝活动在法庭前的大理石广场和其他地方举行。

Edith Windsor, a New Yorker who brought the suit against DOMA after she had to pay an estate tax following the death of her wife, Thea Spyer, said she burst into tears upon hearing the court’s decision.

这一诉讼由纽约妇女伊迪丝·温莎提出。她在同性婚姻配偶西·斯佩尔过世后继承遗产，但联邦向她征收遗产税。伊迪丝·温莎说自己在听到法庭的这一判决时当场大哭。

President Obama, whose administration said it would not defend Section 3 of DOMA, because it believed the provision was unconstitutional, called Windsor and the challengers of Prop. 8 to congratulate them.

总统奥巴马内阁称不会支持《婚姻保护法》的第三部分，因为他们认为这个条款是违反宪法的，并给温莎和8号提案的反对者致电祝贺。

In a statement written on Air Force One en route to Africa, Obama said,“This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.”

奥巴马在飞往非洲的空军一号上签署的声明中说到：“这条法令对于那些一直争取法律平等的同性恋者，对于父母的婚姻现在被合法化的孩子们，对于获得本应得到的尊重和保护的家庭，对于那些别无所求、只希望看到他们深爱的朋友被平等对待，竭尽全力使他们的国家变得更好的人们来说，是巨大的胜利。”