Republicans to ask US Supreme Court to return control of marriage to the states
An early draft of the new Republican platform reveals a plea to return control of marriage to the states.
In the document, obtained by CNN, the 2016 Republican platform opposes the US Supreme Court decision to legalise same-sex marriage and requests that control over marriage legislation returns to the states.
Prior to this alteration, the party’s platform sought a constitutional amendment to declare marriage as between “one man and one woman.”
While this may be perceived as a slight step forward, the draft still highlights and reiterates the importance of a “married mom and dad.”
This comes after CBS News reported that moderate Republicans were drafting an amendment that would “soften” the party’s official position on the LGBT community.
A modification to the GOP’s rhetoric regarding same-sex marriage is long overdue as the US celebrated one year of marriage equality just last month, but it seems most Republicans are still not eager to steer towards inclusion.
The previous platform called for the “redefinition of marriage” by state courts an “assault on the foundations of society.”
The new draft reads: “Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman and actively promote married family life as the basis of a stable and prosperous society.”
Much of the platform’s language directly reflects Trump’s sentiments from throughout his campaign, including his tough stance on trade as well as the belief that marriage should be a state issue.
Trump had told David Barton, a delegate on the committee from Texas, that he wouldn’t “do anything to the platform.”
When it comes to LGBT equality, it seems that Trump has largely stuck to his word.
