Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank
has enthusiastically embraced putting the GOP on the defensive over
gay marriage.
The openly gay Democrat is among the
co-sponsors of a bill that seeks to repeal the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA). Frank and fellow Democrats, including lead sponsor New
York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, introduced
the bill on Wednesday.
The legislation was reintroduced after
President Barack Obama announced his administration would no longer
defend the law in court, prompting House Speaker John Boehner, a
Republican, to instruct the House to defend DOMA.
DOMA bans federal agencies from
recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples and allows
states to ignore such marriages from other states. In making his
announcement, Obama said he believed parts of the law are
unconstitutional.
Republicans have criticized the effort
to repeal the law and Obama's decision to no longer defend it in
court. Majority Leader Eric Cantor claimed last month that Democrats
were politicizing gay rights as a wedge issue against them.
"What do I say to the idea that
this is a wedge issue? I say 'Hallelujah,'" Frank told reporters
on Wednesday. "The fact that we've now evolved to the point
where the Republicans are complaining about the fact that we
introduced this bill because it causes them political problems is a
great sign of progress. It used to be the other way around."