June 28, 2013
Amendment on the Way? Anti-Gay Lawmaker Takes Fresh Aim at Same Sex Families
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Conservatives may have lost a fight, but they don't think the battle over marriage is done.
Kansas Republican Tim Huelskamp said he'll be introducing a bill to amend the U.S. Constitution and ban gay marriage, the Huffington Post reports.
"This would trump the Supreme Court," the Tea Party congressman told HuffPost, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman.
Similar amendments have been introduced in the past, but none has succeeded. In 2006, the last time the House voted on the measure, it failed to pass; the final vote count was 236-187. It needed 290 votes to pass. Among those who were in favor of such amendment were House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and VP Republican nominee Rep. Paul Ryan.
"What did not happen is what the court and then the folks pushing for [DOMA repeal] hoped would happen: that it would end the debate," Huelskamp said. "The debate is not over."
Huelskamp did not say when exactly he'll introduce the bill, but it is expected to take place this week.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
