Who are the Republicans who saw sense and voted in favour of same-sex marriage bill?
In a 258-169 vote, the House of Representatives passed The Respect For Marriage Act. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The US House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Thursday (8 December), ensuring federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.
With a 258-169-1 House vote, the bill now heads to president Joe Biden’s desk with the help of 39 Republicans who transcended party lines to back the bill.
The Republican representatives who supported the bill were:
- Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota
- Don Bacon, Nebraska
- Ken Calvert, California
- Kat Cammack, Florida
- Mike Carey, Ohio
- Liz Cheney, Wyoming
- John Curtis, Utah
- Rodney Davis, Illinois
- Tom Emmer, Minnesota
- Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania
- Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin
- Andrew Garbarino, New York
- Mike Garcia, California
- Carlos Gimenez, Florida
- Tony Gonzales, Texas
- Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio
- Jamie Herrera Beutler, Washington
- Ashley Hinson, Iowa
- Darrell Issa, California
- Chris Jacobs, New York
- David Joyce, Ohio
- John Katko, New York
- Nancy Mace, South Carolina
- Nicole Malliotakis, New York
- Peter Meijer, Michigan
- Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa
- Blake Moore, Utah
- Dan Newhouse, Washington
- Jay Obernolte, California
- Tom Rice, South Carolina
- Mike Simpson, Idaho
- Elise Stefanik, New York
- Bryan Steil, Wisconsin
- Chris Stewart, Utah
- Mike Turner, Ohio
- Fred Upton, Michigan
- David Valadao, California
- Ann Wagner, Missouri
- Michael Waltz, Florida
This is the second time this year the House has passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The House approved the bill back in July, but it took an amendment securing religious protections to get it passed by the Senate just last month.
After the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, Democrats feared the overturn of 2015’s Obergefell v Hodges, which legalised same-sex marriage.
This fear charged the Respect for Marriage Act with urgency.
Most representatives supporting the bill in July re-confirmed their vote yesterday, save eight Republicans. But those who did maintain their support spoke out about their decision.
Utah congressman Chris Stewart wrote on Twitter that his support of the act seemed like “the best approach” to protect both LGBTQ+ and religious freedoms.
South Carolina representative Nancy Mace also qualified her vote with a statement, saying that the LGBTQ+ right to marry echoes national values of “individual liberty”.
“Today’s vote to protect marriage and protect religious liberties marks the end of a long fight for the basic civil right for any two people to marry without discrimination,” Mace said.
“The right to marry whoever you love regardless of the color of your skin or orientation shouldn’t be controversial. Our nation was built on the notion of individual liberty. This vote marks another step forward in the American people’s constant fight for freedom.”
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