Thats My Congress: Jared Polis Speaks And Acts In Respect For Marriage

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Thats My Congress: Jared Polis Speaks And Acts In Respect For Marriage

U.S. Representative Jared Polis spoke in strong support of equal marriage rights this week. His speech opposed efforts to interfere with the ability of states to formally recognize equality in the right to marry that is already guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. Polis said, "No one should be denied the opportunity to choose his or her spouse. It is a basic human right and deeply personal decision. Throughout history, we have only moved forward when society has distinguished between traditional values and valueless traditions. The Defense of Marriage Act -- DOMA -- is a valueless tradition that undermines the spirit of love and commitment that couples share and sends the wrong message to society. It is time for its repeal."

jared polisPolis did not stop at mere words in his opposition to marriage discrimination. He joined two other members of the House of Representatives to write and introduce H.R. 3567, the Respect for Marriage Act. Co-written by Tammy Baldwin and primarily sponsored by Jerrold Nadler, the Respect for Marriage Act would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a law from the previous century which defies the Constitution to give the federal government the power to withhold recognition of same-sex marriages.

Joining these three authors of the Respect for Marriage Act are 92 cosponsors. That makes a total of 95 supporters for the Respect for Marriage Act - all Democrats.

Can that be a point of strong differentiation for congressional Democrats from the Republican Party? Sadly, no. These 92 cosponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act only make up 37 percent of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. Nearly two-thirds of House Democrats are withholding their support for this marriage equality legislation.

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