John Boehner's Defense of Anti Gay Discrimination

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/128589618.html

Anyone that has interacted me for over an hour should know that LGBTQA issues are something near and dear to my heart. With family members and close friends who fall under one of the acronyms, I can have a tendency to be quite the outspoken ally.
So when I hear that Boehner is being homophobic, I'm not totally surprised. But why does he need to be hiring lawyers when Obama has made it clear that he doesn't want to defend against challenges to DOMA. You can read this short editorial for yourself, I just want to point out one sentence-
"The House argues that changes to DOMA and other laws that govern marriage would best be achieved through the democratic process."
While it is a great ideal- if we look back at our history, using the ballotbox for issues that involve morality, we usually fail. Do you think the public would have voted to end slavery? Or to end Jim Crow laws/segregation during the Civil Rights movement? I say probably not (though the argument could be made that both of these things would have faded away with time, but I say it would have taken much too long if we wait for things to happen naturally).
I know- people hate when folks like me make connections between the plight of LGBTQ individuals and that of the Civil Rights movement. But the connections are there- there's no denying it. Am I saying that either won if more or less important than the other? No. But in both instances there are laws that are inhibiting a group of people from fully living their lives. And until marriage doesn't become a matter of the state anymore (while it's suggested often, think of how difficult a task it would be to pull off), LGBTQ individuals are being denied a right given to others- all because of hate. Misunderstanding, fear and hate.
So while it's a nice ideal- decisions such as this will probably stem from court cases or actions of the President. Much like the Emancipation Proclamation and court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education. I think the people are "ready" for gay marriage- as the baby boomers age and die, the younger generations are much more accepting. But again, why should we have to wait that long?