After compromise, Senate poised to protect same-sex marriage

Reflecting a marked GOP shift on same-sex marriage in recent years, Congress has secured enough bipartisan support to pass a marriage equality bill when it returns after Thanksgiving.

Democrats put forward the Respect for Marriage Act to shore up legal protections for same-sex and interracial couples, citing concerns that the Supreme Court could overturn key precedents that support such marriages, as it did with abortion this summer. The bill passed the House in July with 47 GOP lawmakers voting in favor. And it cleared a key hurdle this week in the Senate, thanks to a bipartisan amendment with religious liberties protections that won the support of a dozen Republicans. 

“When we reach beyond partisan talking points, we expand what’s possible,” Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who is bisexual and helped to negotiate the amendment. “We were careful to ensure that in shoring up some rights, we did not infringe on others.”