New York, NY — “Yesterday’s announcement that a Senate vote on the Respect for Marriage Act will be delayed until after midterm elections is deeply and profoundly disappointing,” said Stacey Stevenson, CEO of Family Equality, the nation’s leading organization for current and future LGBTQ+ families. “This delay leaves tens of thousands of married couples and their children feeling vulnerable and fearful. Marriage equality is not a partisan issue. LGBTQ+ and interracial couples deserve the security of knowing their marriages will be recognized no matter what the future holds.”
While marriage equality is currently the law of the land, the Respect for Marriage Act would provide security to our families by cementing these critical protections into federal law. In July, the Act quickly passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. A bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate shortly thereafter, where it now awaits a vote. The next step is for the U.S. Senate to hold that vote, which is delayed until after the November midterm elections.
A record-high 70% of those in the U.S. support same-sex marriage according to a Gallup survey from June 2022. However, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is not part of that 70%. In fact, this summer, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization he suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court reconsider other key cases including Obergefell v. Hodges, threatening the marriages and security of our families and setting off alarm bells throughout the LGBTQ+ community.
“The Respect for Marriage Act is about families,” Stevenson shared. “At a time when LGBTQ+ people are under attack in so many aspects of our lives, our families — couples, their children — deserve the security of knowing that our marriages will continue to be recognized no matter what the future may hold. While the sting of this delay hurts, I want to reassure LGBTQ+ families that we are in this fight together. The time is now! And we all must continue to raise our voices, contact our Senators, and demand that they pass the Respect for Marriage Act. We cannot and will not back down.”
About Family Equality
Family Equality is creating a world where everyone can experience the love, safety, and belonging of family. As the leading national organization for current and future LGBTQ+ families, we work to ensure that everyone has the freedom to find, form, and sustain their families by advancing LGBTQ+ equality through advocacy, support, storytelling, and education. Learn more at familyequality.org.
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Press Contact
Tonya Agnew,
Chief Communications Officer
(765) 490-4709 / tagnew@familyequality.org