By Kathleen Gilbert
In an interview with 365 Gay released Monday, Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank conjectured that true marriage would likely remain enshrined in U.S. law because of the influence of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, whom Frank referred to as "that homophobe." Rep. Frank, who is openly homosexual, was discussing a decision last month by a 9th Circuit Court judge that declared the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional and granted health benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees in spite of the law. While the ruling was essentially administrative and thus did not set precedent for future rulings, it has attracted the interest of the pro-homosexual lobby.
Frank said he believed it was unconstitutional for the federal government to "pick and choose as to which marriages it will accept," and said an effort to overturn DOMA should eventually reach the Supreme Court.
"I wouldn't want to go to the Supreme Court now, because that homophobe Antonin Scalia has got too many votes on this current court," said Frank.
Justice Scalia is known for staunchly protecting traditional moral values. He drew the ire of homosexualists in 2003 when he dissented in a case that overturned a ruling outlawing consensual sodomy, a move he said represented "a massive disruption of the current social order."
Frank said in the interview that Congress and President Obama would "absolutely" allow open homosexuals to join the military "within the first two years of office." He also indicated confidence that Congress would soon pass a law forcing employers not to discriminate against open homosexuals as potential employees.
