Metro Weekly

Sen. Barney Frank clarifies ‘Scalia homophobe’ remark

”[Justice Scalia] wrote a very long, very angry opinion [about Lawrence v. Texas] in which he makes it very clear that he thinks gay people are a threat to this society…. He’s had other opinions involving gay people in which he makes it very clear that he’s very angry, frankly, about the existence of gay people…. What a ‘homophobe’ means is that he’s someone who’s got prejudice against gay people…. He thinks it’s a good idea for two consenting adults who happen to be gay to be locked up because he is so disapproving of gay people. We’re not talking about marriage … While I support same-sex marriage, I don’t think if you’re against it you’re a homophobe. I don’t think Clarence Thomas is a homophobe for an opinion which says, ‘Look, the Constitution allows a state to do what I think is silly.”’

US Representative Barney Frank regarding his earlier comment about Justice Antonin Scalia being a homophobe who would be given the chance to decide any court case regarding the Defense of Marriage Act if it went before the Supreme Court today. (WBZ)

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