Jul 25, 2022 - Politics & Policy

GOP lawmaker attended gay son's wedding days after voting against marriage equality

Shawna Chen

Photo of Glenn Thompson speaking as he sits at a table — Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) in 2008. Photo: Bill Clark/Roll Call via Getty Images

Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) was one of 157 Republicans who voted against codifying the right to same-sex marriage last week. Three days later, he attended the wedding of his son, who is gay.

Driving the news: Thompson's press secretary Maddison Stone said in an email to Axios that he and his wife "were thrilled to attend and celebrate their son’s marriage on Friday night as he began this new chapter in his life."

"The Thompsons are very happy to welcome their new son-in-law into their family," Stone added.
NBC News was the first to report the story.

Yes, but: Stone told local newspaper Centre Daily last week that Democrats' Respect for Marriage Act is "nothing more than an election-year messaging stunt for Democrats in Congress who have failed to address historic inflation and out of control prices at gas pumps and grocery stores."

The big picture: Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, concern that it could strike down gay marriage has risen sharply.

But many Republicans have echoed Stone's sentiment that the new bill, which cleared the House 267-157, is simply a political tactic.
71% of Americans support same-sex marriage, as do a majority of Republicans, according to a June Gallup poll.

Go deeper: GOP inches closer to 10 Senate votes on same-sex marriage

Editor's note: This article has been updated with fresh comment from Stone.

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GOP lawmaker attended gay son's wedding days after voting against marriage equality

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