Republicans Lummis, Collins Double Down After Voting To Advance Reckless Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Republicans have a chance to save faithful Americans from the avalanche of legal assault that will come with Democrats’ ill-named “Respect For Marriage Act” (RFMA). But so far, at least two of the GOP senators who voted to advance the legislation are doubling down on their support for the reckless bill that would endanger religious Americans’ right to decline to provide services that contradict their consciences.

Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Todd Young of Indiana all voted last week to advance the RFMA, which would codify the Supreme Court’s approval of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges (and actually go further).

No, the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ Doesn’t Protect Religious Americans

Some, such as Portman, Collins, and Tillis, tried to couch their support for the bill by erroneously arguing that the legislation will actually protect religious liberty and freedom of conscience.

In reality, the bill enables quite the opposite by opening the door further for those who hold and live by traditional views of marriage to be punished by LGBT activists who have already exploited the legal system to target religious Americans. Its lame protections against being “required to provide” services celebrating same-sex marriage are limited to “nonprofit religious organizations,” which clearly excludes businesses that aren’t explicitly religious but can still be owned and operated by devout Christians.

As a result, and as legal scholars and other legislators already noted, the so-called “Respect For Marriage Act” does nothing to stop vindictive leftists from “dragging good people through the court system and a public tarring and feathering in the media for those simply living their lives in fidelity to God.” That includes targeting wedding vendors, adoption agencies, bakeries, and any other business run by people of faith who refuse to offer services condoning same-sex marriage based on religious convictions.

Despite those concerns, only two of the 12 who voted against their party to move the bill forward responded to The Federalist’s questions asking them to justify their support for the legislation and explain why there are no legal protections for private businesses. Both doubled down, although both refused to answer whether other so-called “First Amendment protections” in laws such as the FACE Act have adequately protected Americans of faith from harassment and legal persecution.

Lummis, Collins Double Down

Sen. Cynthia Lummis told The Federalist that she will continue backing the bill because she believes it “is consistent” with the Wyoming Constitution and that it adequately ensures “religious liberties for all citizens and faith-based organizations.”

“Equality is enshrined in the Wyoming constitution, and this legislation is consistent with Article I, Section III. As a Christian and a conservative, ensuring that the religious liberties of people in Wyoming are protected and that no institution would be forced to perform a

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