(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is applauding the U.S. House of Representatives for voting today to give final Congressional approval for the Respect for Marriage Act.
The legislation, which was approved in the U.S. Senate last week, codifies into federal law rights for same-sex and interracial couples to marry and receive the related federal protections that come with marriage. It is necessary because certain conservative federal judges and other advocates have recently signaled their intentions to target through the courts the rights for same-sex couples to marry, similar to the way the conservative majority on the Supreme Court earlier this year removed federal protections for the right to an abortion. The legislation next moves to the desk of President Joe Biden, who has announced that he will sign it.
“The fact that conservative activists and judges are targeting same-sex couples who are legally married by trying to remove that status from their lives and prevent them from receiving the legal protections that other couples receive is mindboggling, and I just will never be able to understand why some people are so dedicated to preventing others from living peaceful, happy lives,” Governor Lamont said. “The continued harassment and bullying of our fellow LGBTQ Americans, including by elected officials, needs to end. The circumstances under which this bill are necessary are unfortunate, but I am grateful for those lawmakers in Congress who voted for its approval, including every member of Connecticut’s delegation. The right for same-sex couples to marry has been enshrined in Connecticut statutes for more than a decade, and I am glad to see that with President Biden’s forthcoming signature, similar protections will now be added to federal law.”
In 2008, Connecticut became among the first states in the nation to provide marriage rights to same-sex couples, following the Connecticut State Supreme Court ruling of Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health. In 2009, Connecticut state lawmakers approved legislation codifying that ruling into state statutes to further secure those rights.