Tennessee’s Congressional Republicans come out in opposition to marriage equality bill, which now heads to divided Senate

An effort by Democrats to enshrine marriage equality into law is making its way through Congress, though it faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. 

The House voted 267-157 Tuesday night for H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act. It would replace gendered language surrounding marriage and protect same-sex or interracial unions in federal law.  

Although 47 Republicans voted for it, six of Tennessee’s Republican members of Congress did not. A seventh member, Tim Burchett of Knoxville’s 2nd District, did not vote.  

Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen, TN-09, one of the state’s two Democratic members who supported the bill, called it necessary.  

“[T]his bill is an American bill and everybody should be for it. The only reason to be against it is you really don’t want to go on record of being in favor of those rights that have been extended to Americans, and they’re potentially in jeopardy,” Cohen said.

The law is a direct response to the Supreme Court conservative majority’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which Democrats fear could also threaten other precedents based on the right to privacy. 

Tennessee’s two Republican senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, have not yet indicated how they would vote on the bill.