Washington, DC – Today, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), sent a letter to Senate Leaders in support of the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives. In the letter, Mayor Todd Gloria, who chairs the LGBTQ Alliance of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Tom Cochran urge the Senate to pass this bill and ensure same-sex and interracial couples have the same rights as other Americans. The United States Conference of Mayors has long been a champion of LGBTQ rights, and America’s mayors are not willing to see this progress reversed. In the letter, Gloria and Cochran write in part:

“Quick passage of this legislation is a critical step to defending the right to marry for all our residents. America’s cities are the bastions of equality, opportunity, and progress. We cannot risk that couples in LGBTQ or interracial marriages could be denied the right to legal protections that other couples take for granted. America’s mayors will always push back against discrimination and uplift our core values of equality and fairness.”

You can hear more from Mayor Gloria on this issue in the video here.

The full text of the letter to Senators Schumer and McConnell can be found here and below:

November 16, 2022

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer                        The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Majority Leader                                                          Minority Leader

United States Senate                                                United States Senate

S-221, The Capitol                                                     S-230, The Capitol

Washington, DC 20510                                             Washington, DC 20510

Dear Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell,

On behalf of The United States Conference of Mayors, we urge the Senate to pass the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act today.  The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which has supported policies advancing civil rights since the 1960s, LGBTQ rights since 1984, and marriage equality since 2009 calls on you to protect the fundamental freedom to marry for all of our residents.  

The bill would ensure that marriage equality is protected as the law of the land. Following the decision by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and the signal sent that other rights, like the right to same-sex and interracial marriage, are potentially under attack, this legislation will provide certainty to all the families who are at risk.  

Quick passage of this legislation is a critical step to defending the right to marry for all our residents. America’s cities are the bastions of equality, opportunity, and progress. We cannot risk that couples in LGBTQ or interracial marriages could be denied the right to legal protections that other couples take for granted. America’s mayors will always push back against discrimination and uplift our core values of equality and fairness.

In September we sent a letter of support for this critical legislation signed by a group of 164 bipartisan mayors.  America’s mayors remain ready to work with the Senate to pass this bill and others to ensure that the rights and freedoms of all Americans are always protected.

Sincerely,

Todd Gloria, Mayor of San Diego, CA, Chair, LGBTQ Alliance of The U.S. Conference of Mayors

Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director, The U.S. Conference of Mayors                                            

cc. Members, The United States Senate