A Republican lawmaker just voted against gay marriage, then attended his gay son's wedding three days later.
Last week, Representative Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania voted against a House bill that would codify federal protections for same-sex marriage. He was one of 157 Republican lawmakers to do so.
While his vote demonstrates his lack of support for same-sex marriage, in the same week, Thompson attended the wedding of his gay son and was reportedly happy to be there.
Thompson's son, one of the grooms, told NBC News that he “married the love of (his) life” on Friday. He confirmed that his father was there, as did Thompson's press secretary, Maddison Stone, who wrote in an email that the congressman and his wife were "thrilled to attend." Stone also noted that they were “very happy” to welcome their new son-in-law “into their family.”
It's unclear what the relationship between Thompson and his son is like. But the hypocrisy of the congressman's vote is pretty astounding. Last week, his press secretary told the Centre Daily Times in an email that the Respect for Marriage Act is “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.”
While most Americans support gay marriage by a landslide, the fate of maintaining the right to same-sex marriage remains in question. The Respect for Marriage Act is now moving to the Senate. The bill needs at least 10 Republicans to support it. So far, five have confirmed they will vote yes. One of them is Rob Portman of Ohio, who came out in support of gay marriage after his son came out as a gay man in 2013.
Thompson's "no" vote might be a representation of his true feelings regarding gay marriage. Though his own gay son would not have the right to marry the man he loves without laws in place to support that right, perhaps he still wholly disagrees with same-sex marriage. However, it seems far more likely that his vote is purely politically motivated.
More than 70% of Americans support same-sex marriage, according to a recent poll. In recent years, support for gay marriage has grown immensely nationwide, and it has also grown among Republicans.
Still, in 2022, the rights of LGBTQIA+ Americans are still very much up for debate. But it's confounding why Republicans, even those who claim to be "thrilled" for gay members of their own families who marry their partners, still use their vote to squash that same right.
