Massachusetts Representative Barney
Frank on Wednesday said he was putting opponents of gay rights on
notice.
America's longest-serving openly gay
representative laid out the “gay agenda” to opponents shortly
after President Barack Obama signed a
landmark bill that repeals a ban on gay and bisexual troops serving
openly in the military.
The “gay agenda,” Frank said during
a press conference, is “to be protected against violent crimes
driven by bigotry, it's to be able to get married, it's to be able to
get a job, and it's to be able to fight for our country.”
Frank was referring to top legislative
priorities of gay rights activists, which include repeal of the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,”
passage of a gay-inclusive hate crimes law (signed
into law by Obama last year) and the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). DOMA defines marriage for federal
agencies as a heterosexual union. ENDA outlaws workplace
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“For those who are worried about the
radical homosexual agenda, let me put them on notice. Two down, two
to go,” he added. (The video is embedded in the right panel of
this page.)