Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly on DOMA and the Respect for Marriage Act (VIDEO)

Recently, we asked Metro Weekly's Chris Geidner to help us understand the Obama administration's legal strategy for pursuing gay rights in the courts. Yesterday, we chatted with Geidner again, about the Defense of Marriage Act and the proposed Respect for Marriage Act. It was Geidner who asked Press Secretary Jay Carney the question that got the White House to voice its support for the Respect for Marriage Act, the first time Obama has endorsed specific legislation to repeal DOMA.

Our video chat continues after the jump, where Geidner talks about being in the actual Senate hearings and what the mood was like.

The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced in the Senate by Diane Feinstein and in the House by New York City's own Jerrold Nadler. Yet despite the fact that the White House is supporting it, and the Senate overwhelming confirmed the first openly gay federal judge this week, the bill is basically dead on arrival in the house, should it even pass the Senate."I think that there's a far cry from an overly qualified moderate corporate lawyer being appointed to the federal bench, and basically not being nixed solely because of the fact that he's gay, versus repealing the Defense of Marriage Act," Geidner said.

As for the other chamber, "Despite the fact that nobody really wants to talk about it, the House has voted to affirm DOMA this year in the National Defense Authorization Act," Geidner noted. "A majority of the House has voted for DOMA this year. So, no, I don't see any chance of the Respect for Marriage Act passing in the House in the 112th Congress."

Also, here's Geidner asking Carney about President Obama's position on the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday.
sthrasher@villagevoice.com | @steven_thrasher

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