Politics & Government

Rep. Frank Wolf Supports New Push for Ban on Same Sex Marriage

Virginia U.S. Rep Frank Wolf is one of 26 Republican co-sponsors of the Federal Marriage Amendment.

by William Callahan

After the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act two weeks ago, Virginia’s U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) is one of 26 Republicans to co-sponsor a bill that would define “marriage” as a union between a man and a woman.

U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) introduced the legislation, which would amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.

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The full text of the bill, which is only two sentences long, reads: "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of a the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."

“It would trump the Supreme Court,” Huelskamp told the Huffington Post.

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For Wolf, whose district includes parts of Oakton, his stance on the issue is nothing new. In 2006, he voted to pass the Same Sex Marriage Resolution, which would also have amended the constitution to ban marriage between same sex couples. 

In 2012, the Human Rights Campaign gave Wolf a rating of zero percent in terms of whether he supported their interests. Requests for comment from Wolf’s office were not returned.

Chances of the bill’s passage are slim. It requires support from two-thirds of the House and Senate, as well as ratification from 38 states.


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