Retiring gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who sits on the committee, told the Washington Blade on Monday that the 15-member panel unanimously backed the inclusion of a marriage equality plank after a national hearing over the weekend in Minneapolis, in which several witnesses testified in favor of such language. “I was part of a unanimous decision to include it,” Frank said. “There was a unanimous decision in the drafting committee to include it in the platform, which I supported, but everybody was for it.” [...] A DNC staffer, who is familiar with the process and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the language in the platform approved on Sunday not only backs marriage equality, but also rejects DOMA and has positive language with regard to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Theis reporting that the Democratic Party platform drafting committee has endorsed marriage equality, as well as other pro-LGBT language.This follows predictions by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Los Angeles Mayor and convention Chair Antonio Villaraigosa last week that marriage equality would be in the final platform. California Rep. Adam Schiff has gotten the state's entire Democratic delegation on board, including Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.

In 2008, the platform condemned DOMA, but didn't go so far as to endorse marriage. So the 2012 DNC convention is set to make history.