In an attempt to stifle Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal –– repeal which was aided today by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals —  Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) has just filed a bill that would ensure the military knows that DOMA, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, is still alive and well. The Foxx-Burton amendment to the 2012 House Defense Appropriations Bill, H.R. 2219, demands that “No funds under the act may be used for activities in contravention of Public Law 104-199, the Defense of Marriage Act.†In other words, Rep. Foxx is attempting to ensure that the U.S. does not contribute to or fund any same-sex weddings on military bases or installations.
A piece making its way around right-wing media circles today, such as The Moral Liberal and Beliefnet, titled, “Protect DOMA: Support the Foxx-Burton Amendment!,” includes a shameless link to Elaine Donnelly’s Center For Military Readiness — a group created to ensure gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members stay in the closet, or out of the military entirely — which offers “talking points” on the Foxx-Burton amendment.
“The Department of the Navy has already demonstrated how pressures to accommodate same- sex couples can quickly lead to incremental policies that are “consistent†but contrary to previous assurances given with regard to the Defense of Marriage Act,” a reference to an order, quickly rescinded, that stated the military would subject itself to individual states on matters related to same-sex marriage.
Republican Virginia Foxx gained national attention during the House of Representatives’ debate on the Hate Crimes bill, in April 2009, when she falsely stated, “The hate crimes bill that’s called the Matthew Shepard Bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay. This – the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.â€
Foxx issued two non-apologies, and The New Civil Rights Movement created the group, FireFoxx, in response to Foxx’s refusal to apologize properly or to step down.