DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, will be the topic of a hearing chaired by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) Friday morning, although for what purpose is unclear. Franks, a “birther” and climate change denier who said he would “absolutely…support” the impeachment of president Obama over the DOJ’s refusal to defend DOMA, the 1996 law in court, has kept the witness list secret until today. That list includes just three people — two anti-equality activists and one pro-equality advocate  — National Organization for Marriage Chair Maggie Gallagher, ultra-conservative blogger and traditional-marriage advocate Ed Whelan, and Rutgers School of Law Professor Carlos Ball. Ball is the author of Closet to the Courtroom: Five LGBT Lawsuits That Have Changed Our Nation, and a marriage equality advocate.
To understand Whelan’s thinking on marriage equality, read, “Conservative Admits DOMA Redefined Marriage, Says Taxpayers Will ‘Subsidize Same-Sex Marriage’.â€
Rep. Franks, who Chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution within the House Committee on the Judiciary, called for the DOMA hearing, “Defending Marriage,” to commence Friday, at 10:00 AM ET.
Franks was named among the “most conservative” members of the House by the National Journal, is staunchly pro-life, anti-marriage equality, would amend the constitution to ban same-gender marriage, received a 0% rating from HRC, and an 11% rating by the NAACP, voted against a hate crimes bill, and has a 100% rating from the Christian Coalition. Franks is opposed to Church-State separation and strongly opposes same-sex domestic partnership benefits.
Read: “Does Ron Paul Want To Stop The Supreme Court From Ruling On Prop 8?“
“Franks is the founder of an official Focus on the Family affiliate called the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP). Formerly known as the Arizona Family Research Institute, the CAP was instrumental in the passage of Arizona’s Prop 102 adding an amendment to Arizona’s constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman,” according to a report by the American Independent today.
In the fall of 2009 Franks called President Obama, “an enemy of humanity.”
Rep. Franks is on Twitter and Facebook. Curiously, Franks’ LinkedIn account says he is “Interested In…job inquiries.”