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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Robyn Shepherd, 212-519-7829 or 549-2666, media@aclu.org

Same-Sex Married Couples Nationwide to Receive Federal Tax Recognition

WASHINGTON

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced today that legally married gay and lesbian couples will be recognized as married for federal tax purposes even if the couples live in or move to a state that does not recognize marriage for same-sex couples. The Treasury and IRS will recognize the "place of celebration" of the marriage.

"This welcome clarification provides fair and consistent treatment for all legally married couples across the country," said James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. "The federal government is right to recognize that people's marriages shouldn't dissolve when they cross state lines."

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

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