Rachel Bitecofer (political scientist and Democratic strategist): Majority of House Republicans voted against codifying gay marriage bc they don't believe in equality under the law.
Politico: 47 House Republicans Vote to Write Same-Sex Marriage Into Law".... "Nearly 50 House Republicans voted to write same-sex marriage into law Tuesday, joining all Democrats in a heavily bipartisan vote that would’ve been considered unthinkable a decade ago."
Newsweek: "House Republicans Cast 157 Votes Against Protecting Same-Sex Marriage".... The House voted to pass a bill that would codify protections for same-sex marriage into federal law, with 47 Republicans joining Democrats in passing the bill.
NBC News: House Votes to Protect Same-Sex Marriage in Case the Supreme Court Rescinds It"... The House passed the Respect For Marriage Act Tuesday to codify legal same-sex marriage nationwide, fearing that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court will rescind the right after it overturned Roe v. Wade last month.
The Hill: "Republicans Show Political Evolution with Same-Sex Marriage Vote"... A vote on codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage demonstrated a sharp political evolution for Republicans on the issue over the last decade, with nearly four dozen House GOP members voting in favor of the legislation.
The New York Times: "House Votes to Protect Same-Sex Marriage Against Supreme Court Reversal"... The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would recognize same-sex marriages at the federal level, with a bipartisan coalition supporting a measure that addresses growing concerns that a conservative Supreme Court could nullify marriage equality.
I didn't go beyond the first paragraph, which is typical for many readers. The nature of coverage on MSNBC and CNN has been as bad, but unsurprising, given that real journalism largely is limited to the print medium. (Republican Fox News would have its own motive to cover the story in the same way).
On the congress.gov website, we read the official explanation of the Respect for Marriage Act, H.R. 8404:
This bill provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages.
Specifically, the bill repeals and replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.)
The bill also repeals and replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. (The Supreme Court held that state laws barring same-sex marriages were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; the Court held that state laws barring interracial marriages were unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia in 1967.) The bill allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations.
The preponderance of the media- which believes the bill applies only to same-sex couples, appears unaware that the bill prohibits the denial of full faith and credit to marriages ".... on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin." Politico and The Hill obviously are particularly reprehensible, unaware or unconcerned that a vast majority of Republicans are, ahem, particularly partial to same-race marriages.
Sure, 157 of 204 Republicans voted against same-sex marriage, prohibition of which has been outlawed since the US Supreme Court rendered its 5-4 opinion (written by a Justice who since has retired- a whopping seven years ago. By contrast, states have been barred from banning interracial marriage for the past 55 years. Interracial marriage is embedded in American society.
Well into the 21st century, 77% of Republicans have voted against a measure demonstrating respect for interracial marriages. That should be startling, more so than the rejection of same-sex marriage, however little the media has noticed.
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