Fifty major corporations, 11 national law firms, seven trade and professional organizations, and three cities –including Boston and New York—signed onto a legal brief this month supporting a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act.

The brief is signed by representatives of such global corporations as Nike, Microsoft, CBS, Google, Starbucks, and Xerox. It argues that DOMA creates “unnecessary cost” and red tape for corporations and forces them to discriminate against their employees who are gay.

The brief was one of 11 friend-of-the-court briefs submitted November 4 by parties supporting three consolidated lawsuits seeking to overturn DOMA.

The lawsuits were mounted by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. The other briefs include ones from more than 130 members of Congress, a group of bar associations and civil rights groups, and two groups of professors.

A three-judge panel of the First Circuit is expected to hear arguments in the cases in January.