Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who was the first sitting member of Congress to voluntarily come out of the closet, welcomed Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), allowing same-sex couples to receive the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples.
Frank, whose long career in the House of Representatives came to an end in January, called the ruling a “major breakthrough.”
“And you know, I wish we could push a button and get all our rights tomorrow,” Frank said during an apperance on MSNBC. “That’s never been the way it’s worked in America in the face of prejudice. You have to work hard politically and legally and socially and intellectually. And this is a major breakthrough. It isn’t everything, but it is a good indication that everything is not too far away because it is a further validation of the sentiment and one good thing leads to another.”
Frank said the fight isn’t over, but the decision brings the LGBT community closer to full equality.
“We’re not all the way there yet, but this is a major step towards it,” he said.
