GOP support for same-sex marriage bill reflects a shift among Republican voters

GOP support for same-sex marriage bill reflects a shift among Republican voters

Written by Peter Boykin on July 20, 2022

GOP support for same-sex marriage bill reflects a shift among Republican voters

Shared By Peter Boykin – American Political Commentator / Citizen Journalist

BREAKING: 47 House Republicans just voted to codify marriage equality into federal law!

Log Cabin Republicans –

“We thank these forward-thinking members for voting to settle this issue once and for all and move the GOP in line not just with the country, but with its own voters.”

The primary conservative values are freedom and liberty. The constitution states equality under law for all citizens. These 47 congressmen are more conservative than the 110 who voted against freedom and liberty by voting against it.

— David Leatherwood 🇺🇸 (@brokebackUSA) July 19, 2022

BREAKING: 47 House Republicans just voted to codify marriage equality into federal law!

We thank these forward-thinking members for voting to settle this issue once and for all and move the GOP in line not just with the country, but with its own voters.

Our statement ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/A3HA1RI2a8

— Log Cabin Republicans (@LogCabinGOP) July 19, 2022

Dozens of House Republicans voted with Democrats to codify same-sex marriage into federal law, breaking with the party’s longstanding position that marriage remains between one man and one woman.

Forty-seven Republicans across 21 different states joined a unanimous Democratic caucus in supporting the legislation, the Respect for Marriage Act, by a vote of 267-157, including Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 Republican in the House; Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming; and Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who is the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The measure would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, enshrine legal same-sex marriage for the purposes of federal law and bolster legal protections for same-sex married couples.

The move is a turning point for Republican lawmakers who have spent decades opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage and broader LGBTQ rights.

At least one House Republican who voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act expressed regret for a previous vote against same-sex marriage and shared what helped lead to their change of heart.

“Over the past decade, I have attended two weddings of couples who deserve equal recognition and protection under the law. Today, I will vote to codify same-sex marriage to ensure our fellow Americans continue to have the right to equal marriage and benefits under federal law.”

Same-sex marriage has been legal across the United States since 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees the right to marriage equality in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case.

Since the court walked back on precedent last month in striking down Roe v. Wade – the 1973 ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion – LGBTQ activists and lawmakers have sounded alarm bells that the court could also overrule its decision on same-sex marriage.

At least 29 states still have same-sex marriage bans on the books that could go into effect if the Obergefell decision is overturned, Jason Pierceson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois, told NBC News.

In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that overturned Roe last month, Justice Clarence Thomas further sparked fears among LGBTQ advocates and Democratic lawmakers when he called on the high court to revisit the 2015 same-sex marriage ruling, among others.

Mary Bonauto, who argued on behalf of same-sex couples in Obergefell v. Hodges and now serves as the civil rights project director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD, said the Obergefell ruling is constitutionally correct, but called the new legislation a “Very important step” to ensure marriage equality.

“Congress is doing what it can to try and return some sense of stability to people who are now very concerned about their families and what happens to marriage going forward,” Bonauto said.

“Let’s just say [if] Obergefell were reversed, which it should not be there’s a failsafe in place, which is that there will always be states that license marriages for same sex couples.”

Support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. has grown considerably over the last three decades.

“They’re worried about making LGBTQ rights another mobilizing issue for Democratic voters in the same way that abortion rights could and will likely be in November,” Magni said, referring to the 47 House Republicans.

Compared with 55% who are in favor of marriage equality, an estimated 38% of Republicans say that abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center released.

For the Respect for Marriage Act to reach President Joe Biden’s desk and become law, the legislation will need to garner 60 votes in the 50-50-split Senate.

While support for same-sex marriage has grown among Republican voters and some Republican lawmakers, the most recent Republican National Committee platform – enacted in 2016 and renewed in 2020 – includes at least five references to marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman.

Magni, the political scientist, argued that same-sex marriage stands out among other pro-LGBTQ policies and causes because of its conservative and religious roots.

“What’s more traditional than marriage?” Magni said.

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