Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank
has said President Barack Obama's decision not to support gay
marriage is “a problem.”
The president was criticized this week
for not making mention of Amendment One, the proposed amendment to
the North Carolina Constitution which would ban gay marriage, as well
as civil unions and domestic partnerships for gay couples, during a
trip to the state.
“It's not a surprise,” Frank told
The
Hill. “He hasn't yet said that he's for [gay] marriage, so
that's a problem.”
However, Frank, who is planning to
marry his long-term partner Jim Ready in July, gave Obama an overall
“A-minus” on gay rights, praising his decision to no longer
defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which bans federal
agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay couples, and his
leadership on repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” which outlawed
gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.
“He's been good [but] he hasn't been
perfect,” Frank said. “He just hasn't quite gotten to the
marriage [issue.]”