GOP Rep. Glenn Thompson attended his gay son’s wedding three days after opposing a bill in the US House that would codify federal protections for same-sex marriage.
The son, R-Pa., confirmed to NBC News that he “married the love of [his] life” on Friday (22 July) and that his “father was there”.
Maddison Stone, a spokeswoman for Thompson, also said the congressman and his wife were “thrilled to attend and celebrate” their son’s marriage as he “began this new chapter in his life”.
“The Thompsons are very happy to welcome their new son-in-law into their family,” she said.
Thompson was one of 157 House Republicans to vote against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would provide an array of federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages nationwide.
In a statement to local newspaper Centre Daily, Stone described the legislation as “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”.
With 47 of Thompson’s GOP colleagues joining Democrats to pass the bipartisan measure, the bill now faces a vote in the Senate.
However, the bill needs to earn the support of 10 Republicans and 50 Democrats for the legislation to be sent to the desk of President Joe Biden.
During the debate on the House floor, Rep. Jerry Nadler said the aforementioned bill was created to “reaffirm that marriage equality is and must remain the law of the land.”
“Congress should provide additional reassurance that marriage equality is a matter of settled law,” he added
“All married people who are building their lives together must know that the government will respect and recognise their marriages for all time.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi also stated that the bill “makes crystal clear that every couple and their children has the fundamental freedom to take pride in the marriage” and have their marriage “respected under the law”.
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