Wisconsin Republicans Vote ‘No’ On Ensuring Marriage Equality

Eighty percent of Wisconsin Republicans representing the state in the U.S. House of Representatives voted against the Respect for Marriage Act this month. Every Wisconsin Democrat supported the measure, which currently awaits action in the U.S. Senate before it can become law.

The measure came to the floor just weeks after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade, proposed revisiting the landmark Obergefell decision in 2015 that paved the way for same-sex couples to marry.

Leading Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have voiced their opposition to marriage equality since Thomas’ opinion was released, raising concerns that a Republican controlled Congress would turn back the clock on civil rights for gay and lesbian couples.

The Wisconsin Republicans who voted ‘no’ on protecting marriage equality include:

• Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-5)
• Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-6)
• Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-7)
• Congressman Mike Gallagher (WI-8)

Following the vote, Wisconsin Democratic Party Rapid Response Director Julia Hamelburg released the following statement, “Just weeks after a conservative Supreme Court opinion signaled that same-sex marriage could be at risk, it’s unconscionable that Representatives Fitzgerald, Gallagher, Grothman, and Tiffany voted against legislation to protect marriage equality. While Democrats continue to protect Wisconsinites’ inherent rights, Wisconsin Republicans want to roll back the clock – targeting Wisconsinites’ freedoms to make their own health care decisions or marry the person that they love.”

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin is reportedly leading the effort in the United States Senate to enshrine marriage equality into federal law.