Rep. says no to gay marriage, attends son's same-sex wedding
A Pennsylvania representative attended the same-sex wedding of his son three days after voting against legislation to protect the recognition of same-sex marriages
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Pennsylvania representative attended the same-sex wedding of his son three days after voting against legislation to protect the recognition of same-sex marriages.
Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Republican who represents a large swath of conservative northern Pennsylvania, voted against the bill brought by Democrats to the floor of the U.S. House.
The vote came amid concerns that the Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on abortion access could jeopardize other rights aside from access to abortion, including 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which established the rights of same-sex couples to marry nationwide.
The bill protecting the recognition passed 267-157 Tuesday, July 19, with 47 Republicans — including three from Pennsylvania — joining every Democrat in backing it.
On Friday, Thompson attended the same-sex wedding of his son.
“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," Thompson’s office said in a statement. "The Thompsons are very happy to welcome their new son-in-law into their family.”
Thompson's press secretary also called the bill “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.”
The House bill would require the federal and state governments to recognize same-sex marriages, but would not stop a state from banning such marriages in the future.
In 2014, a federal judge struck down Pennsylvania's same-sex marriage ban, and then-Gov. Tom Corbett declined to appeal it.