There is one woman in the state of Pennsylvania who is standing in the doorway of marriage equality. There is one woman in Pennsylvania who has the power to make your marriage secure, and she refuses to do so. There is one woman in this state who, if the Supreme Court strikes down marriage equality, would be the first in line to allow it to happen here and destroy your marriage. Her name is:
Senator Kim Ward, Republican of Westmoreland County.
House Bill 2269, which would repeal an invalid section of state law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, was passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives earlier this month. But Ward, a Republican, hasn’t lifted a finger to see it move any further.
So, is this woman campaigning to be the worst homophobe in Pennsylvania? Well, yes, I guess so, since she also stands in the way of the Pennsylvania Equality Act, the law that would end discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
You might ask, how does this one woman hold up all your rights? Ward is the Senate Pro Tempore, which means she is the top official of the Pennsylvania Senate. That position decides where legislation is headed and when legislation is brought for a vote.
At present, both House Bill 2269 and the Equality Act have passed the state legislature, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has stated he will sign either or both. Here’s where Ward stands in the way: the legislation must pass the Senate, and she has refused to lift a finger to make that happen. She would allow your marriage to be annulled by the Supreme Court.
She has used various excuses. It has to go to a committee, but she has the right to pick which committee it goes to. The committee has to have hearings; she has the right to hold hearings herself. She’s not sure it has enough votes — shouldn’t we put that to the test? She’s not putting it forth for one reason: she knows we have the votes, and if she refuses to allow it to come to a vote, that tells you all you need to know about who she is. Remember the name of the woman who is opposed to your marriage. If you are married and have children, Sen. Kim Ward wants to destroy your family.
This article was originally published on July 17, 2024, by our partners at the Philadelphia Gay News.
