LGBTQ
In Doug Mastriano’s latest anti-LGBTQ+ crusade, he wants to restrict drag shows from being performed anywhere minors could be in attendance.
The bill’s signing comes as Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have expressed growing fear over the possibility that the landmark 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges—which legalized gay marriage nationwide—could be overturned following the Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade earlier this year.
The Respect for Marriage Act does not require states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but it does require states that ban same-sex marriages to recognize these marriages as long as the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed.
As Republican lawmakers and right-wing media figures have singled out the LGBTQ community with hateful rhetoric, children’s hospitals have faced bomb threats, armed extremist groups have targeted drag-related events, and LGBTQ individuals have been assaulted and now murdered in a mass shooting that left five dead.
Republican State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz says her bill is intended to “protect” children from gender ideology and sexual orientation and is “more expansive” than Florida’s similar “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
In a recent radio interview, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano said discouraging conversion therapy is “disgusting” and LGBTQ children are simply “confused.”
Wolf called on state legislators to follow the lead of cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown and enact a full statewide ban on the practice.
