During his opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) vehemently defended the discriminatory law and reiterated the conservative meme that opponents of extending federal legal recognition to same-sex couples were being victimized by them.
Grassley said one outspoken opponent of marriage equality had refused to testify before the committee out of fear that she would be attacked by proponents of same-sex marriage. The witness in question could very well be the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) Maggie Gallagher, who was noticeably absent from the GOP’s witness list:
GRASSLEY: The minority very much hoped to call a witness today at this hearing to testify in support of DOMA. I’m sure she would have done an excellent job. She declined, however, citing as one reason the threats and intimidations that have been leveled against not only her but her family as a result of her public support of DOMA. She will continue to write on this subject but will no longer speak publicly.
Watch it:
Update
According to the Washington Blade, Grassley was not referring to Maggie Gallagher, which suggests she was not invited whatsoever. His office would not identify the woman he cited this morning.
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