US Department Of Labor Cites ProCon.Org for Its 'Up-To-Date' Research on Same-Sex Marriage

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Mar 05, 2015, 07:24 ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A growing number of government agencies in the U.S. and abroad continue to value ProCon.org as a reliable source of nonpartisan information. Most recently, the US Department of Labor (USDOL) favorably referenced ProCon.org in publishing its revised rule updating the definition of "spouse" under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). The revised rule was prompted by the US Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor striking down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional.

In the February 25, 2014 Federal Register (vol. 80, no. 37), the USDOL, responding to third party comments asserting that it would be burdensome for employers to find information about the same-sex marriage laws in different states, wrote:

"There are a number of organizations focused on providing up to-date information on the status of same-sex marriages in the 50 States within the United States and foreign jurisdictions. Some examples of organizations that provide this information include http://www.freedomtomarry.org/states and http://gaymarriage.procon.org [emphasis added]. Because such information is readily available, the Department does not believe that it is necessary at this time to provide such information on its own Web site."

In reaction to learning about the Department of Labor's favorable citation, Jay Rakow, CEO of ProCon.org, stated:

"We are honored that ProCon.org's website, which serves as a nonpartisan information source to more than 20 million annual users, has been cited by the Department of Labor as a source of up-to-date information on the current status of same-sex marriage in the 50 states. We saved valuable taxpayer dollars by making it unnecessary for the USDOL to bear the burden and expense of re-creating what is already on our free site."

Gay marriage is one of 52 topics that ProCon.org explores in depth using its unique, nonpartisan pro/con format. In addition to its detailed listing of how, when, and which states banned or legalized same-sex marriage, the gay marriage website at ProCon.org also features a detailed history of gay marriage from 1970 to the present and 35 sourced pro and con responses to the question "Should gay marriage be legal?" from the American Bar Association (pro) to Ann Landers (con) and from former Vice President Dick Cheney (pro) to Republican US Senator Chuck Grassley (con).

The gay marriage website at ProCon.org has been viewed over 6,000,000 times and referenced by mainstream media including CNN, NBC, USA Today, NPR, Huffington Post, CBS, Los Angeles Times, UPI, MTV, the Guardian, International Business Times, and many others.

About ProCon.org
ProCon.org (www.procon.org) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2004, whose mission is to encourage critical thinking, respectful debate, and informed citizenship. ProCon.org has more than 20,000,000 annual readers. Information is presented on 52 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from alternative energy, gay marriage, and medical marijuana to the death penalty, immigration, and physician-assisted suicide.

ProCon.org is free of charge, requires no registration, and has been used by educators in more than 5,700 schools in all 50 states and 73 foreign countries.

ProCon.org is widely used and cited by mainstream media, including: The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, BBC, Slate, Daily Beast, Forbes, The Atlantic, and USAToday.