Three days after voting against a bill that would ensure federal protections for same-sex marriage, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, celebrated his gay son’s wedding.
Thompson spokesperson Maddison Stone confirmed in an email to StateCollege.com that the congressman and his wife attended the nuptials on Friday. NBC News first reported the story.
“Congressman and Mrs. Thompson were thrilled to attend and celebrate their son’s marriage on Friday night as he began this new chapter in his life,” Stone said. “The Thompsons are very happy to welcome their new son-in-law into their family.”
Buzzfeed News published an audio recording of Thompson’s speech at the wedding, editing out the names of his son and son-in-law, who are not public figures.
“It actually goes beyond that, as parents. We love it when they find their one true love, especially when they become a part of our families then. That’s what we’re rooting for,” Thompson said in the speech.
On Tuesday, Thompson joined 156 other Republicans in voting against a House bill called the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify into federal law protections for same-sex and interracial marriages. The measure passed in the House 267-157, with 47 Republicans joining Democrats in favor, and is now being considered by the Senate.
Asked about Thompson’s vote against the bill, Stone referred to a statement issued last week.
“The bill was nothing more than an election-year messaging stunt for Democrats in Congress who have failed to address historic inflation and out of control prices at gas pumps and grocery stores,” Stone said.
House Democrats reintroduced the bill earlier this month after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade’s federal protection for abortion access. While Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion stated the decision “concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right,” Justice Clarence Thomas issued a concurring opinion that the court “should reconsider” other past rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
If the court were to overturn Obergefell with no federal law in place, decisions on whether to recognize same-sex marriage would return to individual states.
The Respect for Marriage Act would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), guarantee federal recognition and protections for same-sex marriages. and require inter-state recognition same-sex marriages, but it would not require states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
DOMA, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman, was rendered unenforceable by two Supreme Court decisions, but Thomas’ opinion and the shift in balance of the court has led to fears that those decisions could be reversed.
