Congressman Glenn Thompson attends gay son’s wedding after voting against same-sex marriage bill

U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre County, joined 156 other Republican lawmakers last week in opposing a bill to protect the recognition of same-sex marriage — just three days before attending his gay son’s wedding.

Thompson represents Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District, which includes all of Armstrong and Indiana counties, part of Butler County and all or part of 11 other counties.

Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in 2014 when a federal judge ruled it was unconstitutional.

Nationwide, same-sex marriage was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015. After Justice Clarence Thomas hinted at the possibility of overturning that decision, House Democrats introduced legislation to protect same-sex marriage rights in federal law.

Despite Thompson’s opposition to that effort, his office confirmed that he attended his son’s same-sex marriage July 22 and said that Thompson and his wife were “very happy” to welcome their new son-in-law into their family.

“Congressman and Mrs. Thompson were thrilled to attend and celebrate their son’s marriage on Friday night as he began this new chapter in his life,” Thompson press secretary Maddison Stone said.

The same-sex marriage protection bill, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, passed 267 votes to 157, with all Democrats and 47 Republicans supporting it. It is now in the U.S. Senate, where several Republicans have shown support. It would need at least 60 votes to clear the chamber.

When asked about the Thompson’s vote in the face of his public support for his son, Thompson’s office pointed the Tribune-Review to the lawmaker’s previous statement on the Respect for Marriage Act, which his office had called a “messaging stunt” meant to distract from other issues facing Americans.

“The bill was nothing more than an election-year messaging stunt for Democrats in Congress who have failed to address historic inflation and out of control prices at gas pumps and grocery stores,” Stone said.

A PRRI poll from 2021 shows 69% of Pennsylvanians support same-sex marriage, while 28% oppose it. According to PRRI, that support has grown from 55% in 2015.