Delaware legislators have advanced a bill to codify same-sex marriage in their state constitution. It will now move to the Senate chamber to be voted on.
Senate Bill 100 was introduced last month by Democratic Sen. Russ Huxtable who represents the sixth district of Delaware. Huxtable gained 21 co-sponsors for the bill that would “establish the right to marry as a fundamental right and that Delaware and its political subdivisions shall recognize marriages and issue marriage licenses to couples regardless of gender.” The state legalized same-sex marriage in 2013, becoming the 11th state in the country to do so.
According to John Reynolds, Deputy Policy and Advocacy Director of Delaware’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): “After hard fought recent victories, the rights of LGBTQ Americans are under attack in many places across our country. It is important that Delaware be proactive and serve as a firewall protecting individual civil liberties.
Delaware is the only state in the country that can amend its state constitution without the vote of its residents. Once the bill receives approval of two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly it can become law.
Virginia, Colorado, California and Hawaii have also passed amendments to codify marriage equality in their constitutions, and additional states have declared themselves a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ people.
