U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) this week released the following statement regarding his vote on the Respect for Marriage Act:
“For over 25 years, I have supported efforts to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Supreme Court has recognized a right to same-sex marriage, and its recent majority opinion in Dobbs made it abundantly clear that fears the Court will overturn this right are ‘unfounded.’
“While the Respect for Marriage Act purports to simply codify the existing right to same-sex marriage, which is not in jeopardy, it goes far beyond that in ways that threaten religious liberty. This legislation would enable activists to sue faith-based groups that provide vital services for our communities in an attempt to force them to abandon their deeply held beliefs about marriage, or close their doors.
“Faith-based adoption agencies, such as Philadelphia’s Catholic adoption agency, have already come under attack for adhering to their faith, even though there are other local adoption agencies that will place children with same-sex couples. This legislation would dramatically increase the risk of litigation designed to put those faith-based organizations out of business.
“The Respect for Marriage Act does not provide any meaningful benefit to same-sex marriages that does not already exist. It does significantly threaten religious liberty.”
Senator Toomey has a long record of supporting efforts to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation:
- Helped to write the charter for the city of Allentown that prohibits it from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation (1996)
- Called for an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the U.S. military (2010)
- Voted in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity (2013)
- Recommended that President Obama nominate, and supported the confirmation of, the first lesbian Latina judge on the federal bench (confirmed 2013)
- Voted for a bipartisan amendment to prohibit organizations receiving grants under the Runaway Homeless Youth Act from discriminating against LGBT youth (2015)
- Introduced, with Sen. Markey (D-Mass.), a bipartisan resolution, which the Senate passed by voice vote, condemning Chechnya’s persecution of men based on their sexual orientation (2017)
- Led, with Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.), a bipartisan letter calling on the U.S. State Department to investigate news reports that authorities in Azerbaijan had conducted raids and detained people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (2017)
- Led, with Sen. Markey (D-Mass.), a bipartisan letter to President Trump urging him to continue to condemn the persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Chechnya and hold accountable the Russian and Chechen officials responsible for flagrant human rights abuses (2018)
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