(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after helping pass the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act. This legislation is an amended version of what was passed in the House of Representatives last July and will now head back to the House before heading to President Biden’s desk. The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act 61-36.
“There should be no doubt that everyone should have their marriages recognized, but after Roe v. Wade was overturned, I heard from constituents across Washington state who were worried that far-right Supreme Court Justices would rip away their right to marry who they love. That’s why this legislation matters and, today, we took a meaningful step towards protecting same-sex marriage at the federal level.
“This fight is not over, though. Whether it is defending the right to same-sex marriage for all, pushing for same-sex veteran couples to have full access to spousal benefits, or fighting to protect all LGBTQ+ individuals from being fired just for who they love or how they identify—I will continue to work to make equality a reality. I am proud to be an advocate for Washington state’s LGBTQ+ community in the United States Senate and look forward to President Biden signing this important piece of legislation into law.”
Senator Murray is a strong advocate for Washington state’s LGBTQ+ community and is a cosponsor of the Equality Act which would ensure full federal non-discrimination equality by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to other protected classes, such as race or religion, in existing federal laws.
Notably, Senator Murray is the lead Senate sponsor of the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, which would ban for-profit conversion therapy across the country. Senator Murray also leads the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which would require colleges and universities to establish policies to prohibit harassment based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion, and require schools to recognize “cyberbullying” as a form of harassment. She also leads the BE HEARD Act, which addresses workplace harassment and makes sure that the Civil Rights Act protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.
This past July, Senator Murray led 40 of her Democratic colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough urging answers and speedy action to ensure same-sex veteran couples have access to the full and complete spousal benefits they are owed. Senator Murray also led her colleagues in a letter last year to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service Charles Rettig calling for the Biden Administration to revise current guidance that has led to members of the LGBTQ+ community being denied pension survivor benefits after losing their life partner. In 2017, Senator Murray introduced the Refund Equality Act which ensures equal tax treatment for married same-sex couples. In 2015, Senator Murray introduced the Social Security and Marriage Equality (SAME) Act to ensure all same-sex spouses receive equal treatment under the Social Security Act when applying for Social Security benefits, regardless of where they live.
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