Iowa's Chuck Grassley, Steve King Back Gay Marriage Ban DOMA

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=8986&MediaType=1&Category=25

Two Iowa lawmakers – Senator Chuck Grassley and Rep. Steve King – on Wednesday testified in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

DOMA, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, bans federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee that lasted more than 2 hours, several gay couples testified that they had been harmed by the law.

Ron Wallen of Indio, California told the panel that his income dropped by more than two-thirds after his husband Tom died from Leukemia. Wallen said he could not access Social Security survivor benefits because of DOMA.

“That additional benefit would have done for me what it does for every other surviving spouse in America: Ease the pain of loss, help during a very difficult transition, and allow time to make decisions and plan for my future alone. Yet I could not depend on this benefit after 58 years with my spouse simply because of DOMA. This is unfair. This is unjust,” Wallen told the committee.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Those bigoted fucks should read this:

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/07/17/andrew-sullivan-why-gay-marriage-is-good-for-america.html

You'd have to have a cold, evil heart not to be moved by that article.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

6. The Problem Is So Many of Them Do.

Evil fucks.

[joeybee12]

2. Kicking for visibility...wish it could be a kick in Grassley's balls...

if he had any.

[Puglover]

3. My whole family is from Iowa.

These bigots do not represent them. Trust me.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Obama has called Grassely 'an honest broker' and his friend

Which figures, all things considered.

[bullwinkle428]

5. +1. I hate that these 2 scumbags represent "the face of Iowa" on this issue.