[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 191 (Thursday, December 8, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ONE OF THE PROUDEST VOTES I WILL EVER CAST

  (Mr. JONES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, today, I cast one of the proudest votes I 
will ever cast in this body. I was a ``yea'' on the Respect for 
Marriage Act.
  When I was elected to this body, I became one of the first two openly 
gay Black Members ever to serve in Congress. Growing up closeted, I 
never imagined that Congress would pass a bill like this, or I would be 
in a position to introduce it with Representative Nadler.
  I was too young to remember Congress passing the Defense of Marriage 
Act, but I know exactly where I was when the Supreme Court struck it 
down in the United States v. Windsor. I had just graduated law school, 
and I was studying for the bar exam. At the time, because of moderates 
like Justice Kennedy, I still had faith that the Supreme Court was 
committed to protecting my basic civil rights as a gay American.
  That was a different Supreme Court than the one we have today. The 
far-right supermajority on the Supreme Court is on a rampage against 
fundamental rights. As members of the LGBTQ+ community prepare to face 
the worst assault on our rights in a decade, Congress must do whatever 
it takes to protect our humanity.
  This bill is a great first step. It ensures that the Federal 
Government will not discriminate against same-sex and interracial 
couples who have been legally married. But Congress must also pass 
other legislation to ensure marriage equality as the law of the land.
  Mr. Speaker, I would conclude by simply saying that I am very 
grateful to this Congress and to be in this place.

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