Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today voted in support of the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation to protect the rights of all Americans to marry who they choose. The Senate passed the bill, and it now advances to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
Senator Wyden released the following statement:
“By passing the Respect for Marriage Act, the Senate has reaffirmed the right for all Americans to marry the person they love. At the heart of marriage equality is the fundamental right to privacy. It’s why I ran in support of same-sex marriage during my 1996 Senate campaign, and after becoming the first member of the Senate to openly support marriage equality, it’s why I voted against the cruel and egregious Defense of Marriage Act.
“While marriage equality is the law of the land thanks to landmark Supreme Court cases like Obergefell and Loving v. Virginia, Congress cannot take any modern legal precedent for granted after the overturning of Roe. It has an obligation to protect the individual rights of all Americans from a far-right Supreme Court majority determined to turn the clock back by decades. And today Congress is one step closer to codifying these rights into law.
“Today’s vote is especially important with the frightening rise of hate speech and violence against LGBTQ Americans. There is no place for hate or intolerance in America. I stand with the LGBTQ community, and I’m proud to once again vote for equality and freedom.”
Yesterday, Senator Wyden spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Respect for Marriage Act. Click here to watch the video.
A web version of this release is here.