Washington, D.C. -
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), in a speech to a conservative lobby group, says that marriage is under attack by 'activist judges'.
Frist, in his strongest denunciation of same-sex marriage yet, told the Conservative Political Action Conference's Reagan Banquet that "activist judges in Massachusetts are intent on destroying the traditional definition of family."
Calling heterosexual marriage a "God-ordained institution" Frist said, "we will do whatever it takes to protect, preserve, and strengthen the institution of marriage against activist judges. If that means we must amend the Constitution, we will do it."
The GOP leader said that when the Constitution was written the concept of same-sex marriage was unknown.
“What is family?” Frist asked, and then answered his own question.
"Our Founders assumed the answer was obvious. They didn’t write into the Constitution the definition of family, because it wasn’t even an open question. For them, and for all of us here today, we know the strength of our society rests on the foundation of strong families."
The speech was delivered January 23, but copies of it were released on Thursday. It also appears on Frist's website
"Millions of American families are legally threatened because lawmakers like Senator Frist simply pretend that they don't exist," said National Stonewall Democrats in a statement. "We have continually heard what the Republican Leadership is against, but we have yet to hear what it is for. Congressional Republicans still have no plan that addresses legal inequality faced by gay families.
Frist also attacked Democratic Senators for filibustering judicial nominees, several of whom have histories of homophobia.
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau
©365Gay.com® 2004
Frist, in his strongest denunciation of same-sex marriage yet, told the Conservative Political Action Conference's Reagan Banquet that "activist judges in Massachusetts are intent on destroying the traditional definition of family."
Calling heterosexual marriage a "God-ordained institution" Frist said, "we will do whatever it takes to protect, preserve, and strengthen the institution of marriage against activist judges. If that means we must amend the Constitution, we will do it."
The GOP leader said that when the Constitution was written the concept of same-sex marriage was unknown.
“What is family?” Frist asked, and then answered his own question.
"Our Founders assumed the answer was obvious. They didn’t write into the Constitution the definition of family, because it wasn’t even an open question. For them, and for all of us here today, we know the strength of our society rests on the foundation of strong families."
The speech was delivered January 23, but copies of it were released on Thursday. It also appears on Frist's website
"Millions of American families are legally threatened because lawmakers like Senator Frist simply pretend that they don't exist," said National Stonewall Democrats in a statement. "We have continually heard what the Republican Leadership is against, but we have yet to hear what it is for. Congressional Republicans still have no plan that addresses legal inequality faced by gay families.
Frist also attacked Democratic Senators for filibustering judicial nominees, several of whom have histories of homophobia.
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau
©365Gay.com® 2004
This article originally appeared on 365gay.com. Republished with permission.
