Momentum for DOMA Crashes to a Halt. Will Anyone Get Out And Push?
In the immediate wake of the National Equality March, some momentum for equal rights legislation was apparent. But that momentum seems to have come crashing to a halt. Senator Carl Levin had promised in October to hold a hearing on reform to the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law, a law that codifies military anti-gay discrimination. But now that hearing has been indefinitely postponed.
Over in the House of Representatives, 7 members of Congress added their cosponsorship to a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and permit federal recognition of marriage equality. But no new cosponsors have added their support to the bill in over two weeks now, and there is no indication that the bill is headed for a hearing or markup. It has been referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and there it lingers.
Barack Obama gave a speech in October just before marchers hit the pavement. He said he’d pushed the Congress to pass a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. But there’s no evidence of recent pushing on his part. Will anyone else get out and start pushing?
