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The Pennsylvania Republican congressman is being called a hypocrite for voting against a bill that would protect the marriage he celebrated with his gay son.
The House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act last week, which would protect marriage equality from the whims of the justices on the now-ultraconservative United States Supreme Court. If it passes in the Senate and goes to President Joe Biden, the bill will be historic, ensuring that marriage equality, which the Supreme Court enshrined into federal law in 2015, cannot be revoked. Republicans, however, have been pushing back on the measure, and one voted against it despite having a gay child.
A few days after voting against the measure, however, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania attended his gay son's wedding. The son, NBC News reports, confirmed that he had "married the love of [his] life" Friday night and that his "father was there."
"[Rep. Thompson] and his wife were thrilled to celebrate their son's marriage" and welcomed their new son-in-law into their family, a spokesperson said. NBC did not publish the name of the son or his husband, saying they are not public figures.
In a report published Thursday, Gawker highlighted Thompson's hypocrisy, although it was unclear at the time if he would attend the wedding the following day.
Thompson was one of the 157 Republicans who voted against the bill to ensure his son's marriage wasn't suddenly rendered moot. Nevertheless, the measure passed with a bipartisan 267 yes votes and could be voted on next week in the Senate.
A Thompson spokesperson said the bill was a political stunt for Democrats in Congress, who have failed to address historic inflation and high gas and grocery prices. U.S. Sen Marco Rubio of Florida said it is a "waste of time," to which Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation secretary, responded.
\u201cButtigieg on Republicans voting against marriage equality: "If they don't want to spend a lot of time on this, they can vote yes and move on, and that would be really reassuring for a lot of families around America, including mine."\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1658672198
"If he's got time to fight against Disney, I don't know why he wouldn't have time to safeguard marriages like mine," Buttigieg told Jake Tapper, who had asked the secretary to respond to Rubio on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday.
Buttigieg explained that he had wanted to give his husband, Chasten, a break and took over breakfast duties with their twin toddlers. He described challenges in taking care of kids and other obligations simultaneously and expressed his appreciation for his spouse.
"I don't know why this would be hard for a senator or a congressman," Buttigieg said, explaining that it was incomprehensible to him how in this day and age, people could still take issue with marriage equality.
"I don't understand how such a majority of House Republicans voted against our marriage as recently as Tuesday," he said.
Buttigieg continued, "Hours after I was in a room with a lot of them, talking about policy, having what I thought were perfectly normal conversations with many of them on that subject, only for many of them to go around the corner and say that my marriage doesn't deserve to continue."
To overcome a filibuster on the Respect for Marriage Act, 10 GOP senators must join all 50 Democrats in backing it. Ohio's Sen. Rob Portman, who endorsed marriage equality after his son came out as gay in 2013, has said he will support the legislation, making him one of five Senate Republicans who are definite or likely supporters.
A recent Gallup poll found that 71 percent of Americans, including most Republicans, support marriage equality. A Politico and Morning Consult poll published Monday found that nearly 60 percent of Americans support passing the Respect for Marriage Act.
