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'Its time is now.' Sen. Blumenthal calls on Senate to pass Marriage Equality Act

Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling on the Senate to pass federal legislation that would make marriage equality, regardless of gender or race, legal.

News 12 Staff

Nov 15, 2022, 1:25 AM

Updated 750 days ago

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Progress was made in Washington, D.C. Monday for supporters of the Respect for Marriage Act, as a bi-partisan group of senators say they are confident they have enough votes to approve federal marriage equality legislation.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke in Hartford Monday in support of the measure, with leaders of LGBTQ+ groups.
The Senate is scheduled to begin voting this week on the bill. Currently, those rights are based on a series of Supreme Court decisions that could be reversed due to the conservative judges on the high court. A federal law would make it more secure, according to Blumenthal.
"Its time is now, the threat to this right is real and urgent as we saw in the Dobbs case," said Blumenthal. "This Supreme Court has put marriage equality on the chopping block."
The people at Triangle Community Center say it is important to families they serve to feel safe.
"That sort of peace of mind is now at play, which can be very stressful for a lot of these couples who have amazing families that are so diverse," said Edson Rivas, from the Triangle Community Center.
The concerns are linked to the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion that happened over the summer.
"Recall that Roe v Wade was precedent for 50 until SCOTUS threw it out," said former Chair of Lambda Legal John F. Sastrom Jr. "The precedent we have for marriage equality is less than 10 years old."
The Marriage Equality Act covers not just gender, but race because they are both rooted in the right to privacy.
Blumenthal's office says the vote could come as early as Wednesday, although it has not been officially scheduled.