[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Protect LGBTQ+ marriage equality and interracial
marriage from Republican attacks NOW!

Dear MoveOn member,

When the GOP-hijacked Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Justice
Clarence Thomas (whose wife played an active role in the January 6
insurrection) wrote a concurring opinion that Obergefell, Griswold, and
Lawrence (the rulings that protect contraception, same-sex sexual
intimacy, and marriage equality for the LGBTQ+ community) should be
revisited next.^1 It is so scary, but not surprising at all. The GOP has
made it crystal clear: Overturning Roe v. Wade is just the tip of the
iceberg.

[ [link removed] ]Will you sign the petition demanding that our leaders take action NOW
to protect interracial and LGBTQ+ marriage from these Republican attacks
before it's too late?

Democrats in the House of Representatives quickly introduced and passed
the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would codify both LGBTQ+ and
interracial marriage into federal law and would protect it from the same
kind of attacks that right-wing Republican politicians and Supreme Court
justices launched against abortion.^2 And though the bill passed in the
U.S. House of Representatives with some Republican support, 157 House
Republicans voted against it. That's right: 157 Republicans voted against
protecting interracial marriage and same-sex marriage.^3 And ONLY five
Republicans in the U.S. Senate have publicly said they would vote to pass
the bill. It's unacceptable, but part of the Republican agenda has been to
relentlessly attack the LGBTQ+ community.

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is working hard to get five more
Republicans to publicly support the bill before it goes to the Senate
floor for a vote. [ [link removed] ]Passing the Respect for Marriage Act is possible and
within our reach, but only if we come together to  make sure that
Republican senators get the message loud and clear: You must act to pass
the Respect for Marriage Act NOW. Take action and add your name to the
petition.

Republicans have not minced words: Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio
(who is up for reelection in November) said that voting to protect
interracial and LGBTQ+ marriage equality was a "stupid waste of time."^4
And when Indiana Republican Senator Mike Braun was asked if he would be
okay with the Supreme Court leaving the question of interracial marriage
to the states, he said "Yes."^5 It's disgusting. Republicans have openly
said what is coming next.

And Susan Collins of Maine, who supposedly supports the Respect for
Marriage Act, actually suggested Republicans might withdraw support as
part of a tantrum because Democrats are moving forward on a historic
health care and climate package.^6 That's right, Republicans are willing
to hold our freedom to marry ransom for petty partisan politics. The truth
is that a vast majority of Americans want this bill passed, and many
Republicans will be compelled to vote for it if we act fast—but if we
wait, right-wing forces will dig in to continue to attack us.^7,8

[ [link removed] ]We can't sit idly by. We need to come together and take action right
now. Sign the petition to tell Congress: It is absolutely critical for you
to pass the Respect for Marriage Act NOW.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, LGBTQ+ couples and families have been
anxiously rushing to the courts to get married, completing second-parent
adoptions with their partners, worrying about whether or not their
partners and families will be covered by their health insurance in the
future, and doing so much more to protect their families from these
attacks.^9 It's heartbreaking. No one should have to worry that their
rights (that so many have fought and died for) will be stripped away at
the hands of corrupt, illegitimate, and unelected Supreme Court justices
who do not represent the people.

The U.S. Senate needs to act before it's too late. It's time to pass the
Respect for Marriage Act to protect interracial and LGBTQ+ marriage NOW.

[5]Sign the petition

Republicans, who have won the presidential popular vote only once in the
last 34 years, have engaged in a concerted effort to pack the Supreme
Court with right-wing extremist judges, who have stripped us of our rights
over and over again.

And it's not just the Supreme Court. The GOP's latest all-out attacks,
from reproductive freedom to bans on trans athletes to bans on abortion at
fertilization to bans on gender-affirming care, are all about bodily
autonomy—and are fundamentally connected. And Republicans have no
intention of slowing down these attacks, so we have to lean into
collective action and fight back together.

Unfortunately, the fact that very few Republican elected officials support
protecting interracial and LGBTQ+ marriage is not shocking, even though
the vast majority of Americans absolutely do support such measures.
Especially considering the fact that Republicans are already actively
running a full-court press across the country to attack our most
vulnerable communities and to put the LGBTQ+ community in harm's way by
introducing over 100 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, most of which target trans and
nonbinary youth.^10 And they won't stop there.

[ [link removed] ]This is why the Senate must take action to pass the Respect for
Marriage Act NOW. Will you add your name to the petition so they take
notice of our collective demands?

And there is still so much work to achieve true marriage equality for ALL,
not just LGBTQ+ folks. Disabled people still can't get married without the
fear of losing the benefits that so many depend on to survive. Together,
we can keep fighting for a future where there are no hurdles to marrying
someone you love.

[ [link removed] ]Click here to add your name to this urgent petition, and then pass it
along to all of your loved ones to spread the word as far as possible.

Thanks!

–Jensine, Nakia, Chrissy, Riley, and the rest of the team

Sources: 

1. "Thomas wants the Supreme Court to overturn landmark rulings that
legalized contraception, same-sex marriage," NBC News, June 24, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

2. "House passes same-sex marriage bill in retort to high court," AP News,
July 19, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

3. "The House Passed the Respect for Marriage Act. 157 Republicans Voted
Against It," Them, July 20, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

4. "Tammy Baldwin, who is gay, confronted Marco Rubio about calling
same-sex marriage vote a 'stupid waste of time,'" CNN, July 21, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

5. "U.S. Sen. Mike Braun: SCOTUS should leave abortion, interracial
marriage to states," WFYI Indianapolis, March 22, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

6. "Susan Collins Is Susan-Collins-ing Again," Time, July 29, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

7. "Majority of Americans support same-sex marriage," WCCO, July 22, 2022
[link removed]

8. "U.S. Approval of Interracial Marriage at New High of 94%," Gallup,
September 10, 2021
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

9. "Queer Parents Rush To Complete Second-Parent Adoptions After
Overturning Of Roe v. Wade," HuffPost, July 26, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

10. "Hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills have already been introduced this year.
Here may be why," NPR, April 14, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you.
It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online
petitions. You can [ [link removed] ]start your own petition here.




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