ICYMI: NBC: Opponents Of Same-Sex Marriage Face An Uphill Climb. They Should Give Up.

In the lead-up to the Senate’s vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Interim President Joni Madison published an op-ed in NBC THINK about how the bipartisan vote for the legislation in the House of Representatives demonstrates widespread support for marriage equality – and the uphill climb anti-equality opponents will face if they want to roll back this right. The Respect for Marriage Act, which passed the House XX-XX and garnered 47 Republican votes, will guarantee the federal rights, benefits, and obligations of marriages in the federal code, repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and affirm that public acts, records and proceedings should be recognized by all states.

READ THE FULL OP-ED HERE: OPPONENTS OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE FACE AN UPHILL CLIMB. THEY SHOULD GIVE UP.

EXCERPTS FROM HRC INTERIM PRESIDENT JONI MADISON’S OP-ED:
“There’s no way around it, we are living in a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people, for women, and for people of color. But our opponents will have an uphill climb if they want to roll back all of our rights. That was evident in the way the Respect for Marriage Act sailed through the House of Representatives 267-157 on Tuesday.”

“In a rare show of bipartisanship, 47 House Republicans from all over this country – North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, Florida, Texas, Iowa, and South Carolina – including the third-ranking House Republican, Elise Stefanik — voted to protect marriage equality.”

“With the devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade… many people fear that other court-protected civil rights could also be on the line — including marriage equality. Tuesday’s vote gave those who were worried about what the Dobbs decision could mean for their marriages a brief moment to exhale because it proved once again that marriage equality enjoys broad, bipartisan support.”

“That’s why a move like we saw on Tuesday was crucial. While bipartisanship in Congress may shock you, Republican support for marriage equality shouldn’t.”

“The 47 votes they casted in favor of the House’s Respect for Marriage Act demonstrate that even Republican lawmakers know marriage equality — which is supported by 7 in 10 Americans, according to a recent Gallup poll — is (and must remain) the law of the land.”

“The end of marriage equality would have catastrophic consequences, much like the devastating consequences of the Dobbs decision. But it is clear that our opponents have a hard fight ahead of them if they come after our marriages because we are on high alert. The LGTBQ+ community has been living in a state of emergency, and we are ready for this fight. Widespread support for marriage equality is rising too fast to be ignored, and the American people, including many in the Republican Party, are with us.”

“For now, the Respect for Marriage Act is in the hands of the Senate. I strongly urge senators to follow the example set by their colleagues in the House and vote to pass this bill to protect the rights given in Obergefell that so many same-sex couples rely upon.”