Dear MoveOn member,
I wanted to make sure that you saw this important email.
Now that Republicans have overturned Roe v. Wade, they're coming for interracial and LGBTQ+ marriage next. Together, we can make sure that doesn't happen.
House Democrats are ready to fight back too, so they 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 attacks that Republican politicians and Supreme Court justices launched against abortion. But 157 House Republicans voted against the bill. That's right: 157 Republicans voted AGAINST protecting interracial and LGBTQ+ marriage equality.
But that isn't going to stop us from protecting our marriages from Republican attacks. The fight now heads to the Senate, where the next step is for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the Respect for Marriage Act to the Senate floor for a vote in September. This is commonsense legislation that a majority of Americans support and that will enshrine existing rights into law. We shouldn't have to worry about which rights and freedoms the GOP-hijacked Supreme Court will take away from us next.
See the original email below.
Thanks for all you do.
–Jensine, Alexis, Nakia, Bekir, and the rest of the team
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.
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. 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
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.
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.
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.
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
https://act.moveon.org/go/163991?t=24&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
2. "House passes same-sex marriage bill in retort to high court," AP News, July 19, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/164412?t=26&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
3. "The House Passed the Respect for Marriage Act. 157 Republicans Voted Against It," Them, July 20, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/165334?t=28&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
4. "Tammy Baldwin, who is gay, confronted Marco Rubio about calling same-sex marriage vote a 'stupid waste of time,'" CNN, July 21, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/165335?t=30&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
5. "U.S. Sen. Mike Braun: SCOTUS should leave abortion, interracial marriage to states," WFYI Indianapolis, March 22, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/165336?t=32&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
6. "Susan Collins Is Susan-Collins-ing Again," Time, July 29, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/165381?t=34&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
7. "Majority of Americans support same-sex marriage," WCCO, July 22, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/165382?t=36&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
8. "U.S. Approval of Interracial Marriage at New High of 94%," Gallup, September 10, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/165383?t=38&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
9. "Queer Parents Rush To Complete Second-Parent Adoptions After Overturning Of Roe v. Wade," HuffPost, July 26, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/165337?t=40&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
10. "Hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills have already been introduced this year. Here may be why," NPR, April 14, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/163323?t=42&akid=331033%2E40999114%2EpYrbGH
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