Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today, I am reintroducing legislation that would guarantee legal rights for millions of marriages in the United States. Americans should be free to marry the person they love, regardless of their sexual orientation or race, without fear of discrimination or fear that their marriages will be invalidated. Very simply, this bill makes clear that the Federal Government and the States must recognize a legal marriage--as has been the law of the land for same-sex couples since 2015 and for interracial couples since 1967. I have long been an ally and advocate for the LGBT community. I spent two decades as a supervisor and mayor of San Francisco, when the city was at the forefront of elevating their voices and advancing their rights, and I watched firsthand as the LGBT community fought for legal recognition of their lives, relationships, and personal dignity. That is why I first introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in 2011. The initial version of the bill would have repealed the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act--commonly referred to as DOMA--and ensured that legally married couples, including same-sex couples, were treated equally under Federal law. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same- sex couples have the right to marry under the U.S. Constitution. The Court recognized that committed couples should be able to marry, regardless of their sexual orientation--a belief that the American people have held for quite some time.…”