Governor Josh Shapiro is looking forward to signing a bill that would eliminate a prohibition on same-sex marriage, according to a statement from his office.
The bill, which is sponsored by State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D., Philadelphia), passed the state House of Representatives and would “preempt theoretical federal action removing such protections, which activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community have raised concerns about since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion two years ago,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“Pennsylvania could be at risk of having trigger language on the books that doesn’t reflect the desires of a majority of Pennsylvanians,” Kenyatta said.
Nine years ago today, marriage equality became the law of the land — and tonight, Lori and I hosted our Pride Reception at the Governor’s Residence to celebrate our Commonwealth’s progress and recommit ourselves to ensuring every Pennsylvanian is treated equally under the law.… pic.twitter.com/fvARZnrkAL
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) June 27, 2024
Pennsylvania’s same-sex marriage ban was signed into law in 1996 by then-Gov. Tom Ridge, though two-thirds of Pennsylvanians support same-sex marriage, according to a recent poll. Prohibitions on same-sex marriage were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 and President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2022 formally recognizing and protecting marriage equality.
Ridge and some of the legislators who supported the ban have since changed their stances, the Inquirer said.
A spokesperson for state Sen. Cris Dush (R., Jefferson), who chairs the committee assigned to the antidiscrimination legislation, did not respond to a request for comment from the Inquirer.
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Photo: X.com