WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Representative Jerrold Nadler, (NY-10), chair of the House Judiciary Committee and author of the Respect for Marriage Act, issued the following statement upon the bill’s House passage today:
“Today, Congress finally righted the injustices of the Defense of Marriage Act and Jim Crow — and tonight, millions of same-sex and interracial couples can go to sleep knowing their partnerships will be protected under federal law.
“Thanks to the action of House Democrats, led by CPC members on the House Judiciary Committee, and Senate negotiators, we are sending a bill to President Biden’s desk to ensure that legal protections for same-sex and interracial couples will continue for every family across America, no matter what state they live in. This was an essential step to guard against the increasingly extremist, right-wing Supreme Court, which explicitly threatened the precedents of Obergefell v. Hodges and United States v. Windsor that legalized same-sex marriage, in Justice Thomas’ Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization concurrence.
“It might seem impossible that we’ve come so far in just a decade since that Windsor decision and the 26 years since DOMA was passed — but those of us who come from progressive movements are not so surprised. Every inch of progress in American history has been won by ordinary Americans seeking justice, and today’s victory is no different. We are here today because of civil rights and LGBTQ movements who never stopped pushing for equal treatment under law. We are here because of activists who died for the right to be recognized in their full humanity by the United States government. We are here because of the organizers who built coalitions and brought communities together such that the Respect for Marriage Act can be bipartisan today.
“Even as we celebrate this historic achievement, we know that the fight for equality and justice for LGBTQ people and communities of color has a long way to go. We will continue to fight for the Equality Act to be come law, and to push, as progressives always have, to address the crises of discrimination of Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and LGBTQ, particularly transgender, Americans.”
