Republican lawmaker Glenn Thompson attended his gay son’s wedding just three days after opposing a bill that would affirm the validity and protection of same-sex marriages, according to reports.
Mr Thompson’s office confirmed to NBC that the congressman was “thrilled to attend and celebrate” his son’s marriage on Friday and the Thompsons are “very happy” to welcome their son-in-law into the family.
“Congressman and Ms Thompson were thrilled to attend and celebrate their son’s marriage on Friday night as he began this new chapter in his life,” Maddison Stone, a spokeswoman for Mr Thompson, said in the statement to the outlet. “The Thompsons are very happy to welcome their new son-in-law into their family.”
Their son, whose identity was not revealed, also confirmed that his father was present when he “married the love of [his] life”.
The Republican, who represents the state’s 15th congressional district, voted against the “Respect for Marriage Act” last Tuesday.
He joined 157 House Republicans to vote against the legislation that would codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriages to protect marriage equality.
The legislation was in direct response to the US Supreme Court’s suggestion that it could revisit cases that affirm same-sex marriage protections in its recent decision to strike down abortion rights.
However, 47 Republicans joined Democrats in support to pass the bill’s passage on 19 July.
The legislation faces an uncertain future in the frequently deadlocked Senate where 10 Republican lawmakers are needed to join all 50 Democrats in the evenly-divided upper chamber to pass the legislation before president Joe Biden can sign it into law.
After the voting, Mr Thompson’s spokesperson called the Respect for Marriage Act an “election-year messaging stunt”.
It is “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,” Mr Stone told local newspaper Centre Daily.
