Republican Congresswoman Cries While Urging Colleagues to Vote Against Same-Sex Marriage Protections

In the year 2022 (almost 2023), Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) went into a full-on emotional meltdown over legislation that would provide some protections for same-sex married couples.

Speaking in opposition to a bill on the House floor Thursday, Hartzler’s voice quivered as she lamented the allegedly dire state of religious liberty in the United States.

The Respect for Marriage Act does not codify same-sex marriage into law, but it does repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Parts of that law were struck down by the Supreme Court in Windsor v. U.S. in 2013 when it ruled the law’s definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman violates the equal protection guarantees under the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

The Respect for Marriage Act does not guarantee the right of citizens to enter into same-sex marriages. That right is currently protected by the Obergefell decision. If that ruling is overturned, as Justice Clarence Thomas has hinted that it should be, repealing DOMA would mean states must recognize same-sex marriages validated by other states.

Hartzler said the bill contains “no protections for civil servants that justly believe that marriage is just between a man and a woman.”

She then accused Democrats of wanting to destroy the “traditional family.”

“This is yet another step toward the Democrats’ goal of dismantling the traditional family, silencing voices of faith, and permanently undoing our country’s God-woven foundation,” she said.

As Hartzler wrapped up her speech, she became emotionally unglued.

“I hope and pray that my colleagues,” she said, pausing before resuming her anti-gay tirade, “will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill. I yield back.”

Watch above via C-SPAN.

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