Cronkite school of journalism at
Arizona state university.
>> Congress passed landmark
legislation aimed at protecting
same-sex and interracial
marriages.
Lisa Desjardins has more.
>> Lawmakers from both chambers
came together to cheer final
passage of the bill, the respect
for marriage act.
It comes after a supreme court
justice expressed interest in
reconsidering the supreme court
decision that protects marriage
equality following the high
court's decision to overturn roe
V. Wade in June.
Looking at it closely is Kate
sauce and, who reports on issues
for the 19th news.
How significant is the bill?
A lot of people are reporting
that this protects marriage
equality and in some ways, it
does.
But it does not caught up --
codify marriage equality.
It would make marriages
transportable from state to
state for states that do have
pro-marriage laws on the books.
With bands, you can still not
get married.
Christ that is if the supreme
court takes the step of
overturning it.
It would really make it a state
by state situation.
Republicans were key in passing
the law.
Most of them voted no.
Many same because they were
worried about religious
liberties.
What are their arguments?
What does the bill say about
that?
>> The Republican talking points
about religious liberty are --
tend to be that there is a worry
that churches will be forced to
perform same-sex unions there
are religious freedom
protections in the bill.
They mirror the projections we
have increased.
A trump for a nonprofit will not
have to perform those unions.
However, if you have a nonprofit
or a business, and wants to do
business or is accepting
government funds, a charity, and
is doing adoption services, it
probably would still be subject
to state laws.
There is no new in terms of
nondiscrimination law.
>> But some of the nonprofits
may have to recognize an
out-of-state same-sex unions if
they want state funds.
>> That is correct, but still
not different from the law that
we are living under right now.
We have >> Equality nationwide.
I want to check about the
midterm election.
This is a very high-stakes
election.
What is your reporting about
what it showed on lgbtq issues
and politics surrounding them
right now?
>> I think what we found was
even though anti-lgbtq plus
rhetoric has gotten louder and
louder, what our reporting bore
out was lgbtq+ Canada wanted the
higher numbers we had ever seen
before.
In 2018, we saw 400 lgbtq plus
candidates run.
This year, there were 1665.
Quality voters can --
so there a growing number of the
electorate.
End -- continue to shrink.
When we talk about the
anti-lgbtq+ legislation, we are
seeing this as a backlash to the
greater political power.
We often miss that part of the
message because it is not that
loud.
>> Thinking about those debates,
sometimes we have ugly rhetoric,
more threats of violence.
Where do you think the queer
movement is right now?
What is this moment?
>> When I talk to advocates and
experts, what everyone tells me
is this is how social movements
go.
Civil rights movements are often
on this trajectory of any time
that there is movement forward,
advancement forward, we are in
one of those points.
So because of especially
transgender people a moment of
increased visibility, rights,
and acceptance.
There is a backlash.
It is a moment of incredible
acceptance.
And visibility.
With that, will come this really
painful experience.
It is hard to see the moment of
visibility sometimes.
>> You can read that report at
the 19th news.
Thank you for joining us.