Well over 100 businesses have signed on to a letter urging the U.S. Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act.
The bill, which cleared the House of Representatives last week, would advance the LGBT agenda as it pertains to gay marriage.
While the Supreme Court previously steamrolled states’ rights regarding same-sex marriage in its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, the Respect for Marriage Act would enshrine into law a prohibition against states declining to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
The measure would prohibit states from denying “full faith and credit to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State pertaining to a marriage between 2 individuals, on the basis of the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individual.” The bill would bar states from denying “a right or claim arising from such a marriage on the basis that such marriage would not be recognized under the law of that State on the basis of the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals.”
The measure would also stipulate that when it comes to federal laws, rules, and regulations, a person should be viewed as married provided that their marriage is valid in the state where it occurred.
Last week, 47 House Republicans joined 220 Democrats in voting to approve the measure.
Major businesses such as the Walt Disney Company, Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, Comcast NBCUniversal, General Mills, General Motors, Harley Davidson, Intel, Microsoft, Pfizer, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Target, Twitter, Tesla, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Zillow are just a few of the many companies that have signed onto the letter urging senators to back the bill.
“No person, including same-sex couples and interracial couples protected by this bill, should fear their marriage will not be recognized by the federal government or their employment benefits threatened,” the letter says. “Our businesses strongly embrace diversity and inclusion because we want everyone who works for us or does business with us to feel included and welcomed as their true, authentic selves. Inclusive business practices improve our bottom lines and lead to more productive and engaged employees, increased customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, improved competitiveness and financial performance.”
The Human Rights Campaign, a pro-LGBT advocacy organization, is behind the letter.