Rep. Cleaver Votes to Protect Marriage Equality, Celebrates Passage of Respect for Marriage Act

December 8, 2022
Press Release

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) voted in favor of H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, to codify protections for marriage equality into federal law. The Respect for Marriage Act will repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, protect marriage equality for federal purposes, and provide additional protections at the state level for interracial and LGBTQ+ marriages.

“As a pastor for more than 4 decades, I’ve been fortunate enough to officiate numerous weddings, where I have enjoyed a front row seat to the beautiful moment when two individuals make the decision to join together for life. In that moment, regardless of race or religion or sexual orientation, I see the extraordinary love that binds two people, two families, and an entire community together. Today, I am prodigiously proud to have helped pass the Respect for Marriage Act, ensuring that interracial and same-sex couples will not have to live in fear of the future and demonstrating to the entire world that the United States remains a beacon of freedom thanks to our commitment to equality and human rights. Love is love—and in the end, love always wins,” said Congressman Cleaver.

Following Justice Clarence Thomas’ suggestion that the Supreme Court should revisit the Obergefell decision after striking down the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling, Rep. Cleaver and Democrats in Congress immediately began working to enshrine protections for marriage equality into federal law. The Respect for Marriage Act would do this by:

  • Repealing the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was rendered inert by the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decisions but still remains in the U.S. code and could be revived if the Supreme Court overrules previous decisions as they did with the Dobbs ruling;
  • Protecting marriage equality for federal purposes by ensuring that people are considered married if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed; and
  • Providing additional protections at the state level by prohibiting any person acting under the color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out of state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of the people in the marriage.

Official text of the Respect for Marriage Act is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.