Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran released the following statement:
“The bipartisan deal on the Respect for Marriage Act brokered by Senators Tillis (R-NC), Baldwin (D-WI), Collins (R-ME), Portman (R-OH), and Sinema (D-AZ) strongly protects both marriage equality and religious freedom, and we urge Senate Republicans to vote for it. The new agreement codifies the rights of LGBT Americans into federal law while protecting the freedom of religious institutions to practice their faith as they choose. In fact, the protections for religious freedom in this deal are so strong that the Mormon church announced their support for it. To those who ask why this should happen now, know that while we remain unconvinced that Obergefell is in any danger of being overturned, conservatives have long believed that laws should come from the legislature, not the courts. Passing the Respect for Marriage Act now is an opportunity to put this issue to bed once and for all and deny Democrats the chance to fear-monger around it any longer. There will be critical fights to be had against Democrats in the coming months, but marriage equality should not be one of them. We are proud of the 47 House Republicans who voted for this bill earlier this year, and urge Senate Republicans to join them and get this bill passed.”