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The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday to protect same-sex and interracial marriages amid concerns that the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade abortion access could jeopardize other rights criticized by many conservative Americans.
In a robust but lopsided debate, Democrats argued intensely in favor of enshrining marriage equality in federal law, while Republicans steered clear of openly rejecting gay marriage. Instead leading Republicans portrayed the bill as unnecessary amid other issues facing the nation.
"For me, this is personal," said Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., who said he was among the openly gay members of the House.
"Imagine telling the next generation of Americans, my generation, we no longer have the right to marry," he said. "Congress can't allow that to happen."
Polling shows a majority of Americans favor preserving rights to marry whom one wishes, regardless of the person's sex, gender, race or ethnicity, a long-building shift in modern mores toward inclusion.
Took long enough. 13 years since it was first proposed, it finally succeeded. I’m glad that it’s finally protected by something other than the supreme court. Especially given how Roe v Wade was overturned, which I think is what prompted this.
Parliamentary support is a really good sign for issues concerning minority populations. Courts are often the first institutions to show support because elected representatives fear alienating a status-quo majority for the benefit of a minority. Seeing this fear abate indicates we're getting closer to cultural consensus.