Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in support of the Respect for Marriage Act, and I am proud to be a cosponsor. I come from a State that has long been at the cutting edge of progress. Minnesota began protecting LGBTQ people against workplace discrimination in 1993. At that time, it was the first and only State in the Nation to outlaw discrimination based on gender identity. And two decades later, in 2013, we became the 12th State to legalize marriage equality. Across the country, as we know, many States have made advances. Today, 23 States have laws protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. And in 2015, the Supreme Court recognized that the U.S. Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. But as far as we have come, we still have miles to go until LGBTQ Americans can live their lives with freedom, authenticity, and equality. And we must also make sure that we protect the progress we make. From what happened recently with the Dobbs decision, as we know, rights that people take for granted--nearly 50 years of Roe v. Wade-- can vanish with one mark of a pen, with one signature on a piece of paper. In fact, when it comes to gay marriage, when it comes to the protections granted by the Obergefell case--it was actually raised in one of the Justice's written opinions--we know that this is on the chopping block.…”