U.S. House Passes Legislation to Protect Same-Sex, Interracial Marriages

Despite the money begs and threats of self-enriching hate groups that masquerade as "family values" organizations while disseminating lies about LGBT individuals (and often minorities) and crocodile tears from at least on one Republican member, today the U.S. House of Representatives - including 39 Republicans - voted to pass legislation that will protect same-sex and interracial marriages for possible attempts by the extremists on the U.S. Supreme Court to role the laws back to the 1950's and reverse the Obergefell ruling that made same sex marriage nationwide and perhaps even Loving v. Virginia that struck down bans on interracial marriage.  Both cases relied on an implied Constitutional right to pricacy in one's personal life, similar to that delineated in Roe v. Wade which the religious extremists on the Court swept aside in reversing Roe.  Symptomatic of the mindset of Christofascists who want to erase any laws and anyone that challege their myth and fairy tale based "religious" beliefs is Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) who is one of the most vicious opponents of LGBT rights in the U. S. House.  Hartzler sobbed while speaking against the bill, claiming that Democrats are seeking to "destroy the family" and "silence people of faith."   As for the harm to same sex headed families should Obergefell be reversed, naturally Hartzler could care less or might even welcome it. 

For those who do not know here history, Hartzler has an ugly anti-gay history: she hosted ex-gay torture advocates in her office next door to Rep. Ted Lieu, who had just introduced a bill to ban the practice. That same year she publicly pressured Amazon to resume selling books by the now-dead and discredited Joseph Nicolosi, the so-called father of ex-gay torture. Before being elected to Congress, Hartzler headed the Missouri Coalition to Protect Marriage, which in 2004 backed the successful campaign to install a statewide constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.  Indeed, it is people like Hartzler who seek to force their hate based beliefs on all who are driving younger generations away from religion entirely.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at today's vote.  Here are excerpts:

The House on Thursday passed landmark legislation that would enshrine marriage equality in federal law, granting protections to same-sex and interracial couples and clearing the way for President Biden’s signature.

“Today, Congress sends the Respect for Marriage Act to the president’s desk, a glorious triumph of love and freedom,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), quoting the gay rights activist Edith Windsor in comparing marriage to magic. “This legislation honors that magic, protecting it from bigoted extremism, defending the inviolability of the same-sex and interracial marriages.”

In a 258-169 vote, the House on Thursday passed the bill with the amendment, which clarifies that the federal government would not be authorized to recognize polygamous marriages and confirms that nonprofit religious organizations would not be required to provide “any services, facilities, or goods for the solemnization or celebration of a marriage.” Thirty-nine Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the measure.

At a bill enrollment ceremony after the vote, members of the House and Senate celebrated as Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) signed and formalized the bill’s passage.

“We can put to rest the worries of millions of loving couples who are concerned that someday an activist Supreme Court may take their rights and freedoms away,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. “We are giving these loving couples the certainty that their marriages are legal and that they will continue to have the same rights and responsibilities and benefits of every other married couple.”

Biden has signaled his support, saying that ensuring federal protections for marriage equality is among his legislative priorities in Congress’s lame-duck session.

“The House’s bipartisan passage of the Respect for Marriage Act — by a significant margin — will give peace of mind to millions of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples who are now guaranteed the rights and protections to which they and their children are entitled,” Biden said in a statement after the House passed the bill. He added that after the Supreme Court in June ended the right to abortion after nearly 50 years, “Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families. They have also provided hope and dignity to millions of young people across this country who can grow up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they build.”