WASHINGTON, DC — Marriott International Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. have joined with more than a dozen other major companies in supporting efforts to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as solely between one man and one woman.

Along with eBay, Inc., operator of the world’s largest web-based marketplace, Aetna, the nation’s third-largest health insurance company, has also joined the business coalition organized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

“We are proud of our longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion and equal treatment of all our employees within our benefits programs,” said David Rodriguez, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Marriott, the nation’s largest publicly-traded hotel chain. “Joining the Business Coalition for DOMA Repeal affirms that commitment, and we urge Congress to pass this important legislation.”

Nine states and the District of Columbia now allow same-sex couples to legally marry, and the White House has stopped defending DOMA, which is being challenged at the U.S. Supreme Court.