Just the Facts, Maggie

Mary L. Bonauto Speaking at a Washington, D.C. Press
Conference on DOMA Repeal Legislation, March 2011

Post by Mary L. Bonauto, GLAD Civil Rights Project Director

When the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution held an April 15 hearing called “Defending Marriage,” we knew it would not be a friendly forum. Although the focus of the hearing was on the Justice Department’s decision not to defend DOMA, Chairman Trent Franks called Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage as the principal witness rather than anyone from the Department of Justice.

Ms. Gallagher’s written testimony begged for a written response, and GLAD submitted its rebuttal last week, which will now be entered into the Congressional Record. GLAD responds point by point to Gallagher’s fictitious assertions about marriage, procreation, Catholic Charities and other talking points, some of which are simply fictitious, and all of which fail to justify DOMA’s singling out of married same-sex couples for different treatment by the federal government.

See GLAD’s Rebuttal, with attachments, and the testimony of Gallagher as well as Ed Whelan (the two majority witnesses) and Professor Carlos Ball (the minority witness).