Pete Buttigieg urges Republicans to back same-sex marriage bill

The US transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, has delivered an emotional appeal for Republicans to support a law protecting same-sex marriage as it heads for the Senate.

Democrats who control Congress aim to protect same-sex marriage amid uncertainty over which privacy based rights the conservative-dominated supreme court might target next, having overturned the right to abortion last month.

That was a reference to Republican attacks on Disney over its opposition to legislation clamping down on teaching about LGBTQ+ issues in schools.

This week, 157 House Republicans voted no on the Respect for Marriage Act. Democrats in the Senate hope at least 10 Republicans will back the bill, thereby beating the filibuster under which the minority can block most legislation.

Cheney opposed same-sex marriage despite her own sister being gay.

Clarence Thomas, an arch-conservative, suggested rights including same-sex marriage and access to contraception could be reconsidered. The justice, who is Black, did not mention interracial marriage. His wife, the far-right activist Ginni Thomas, is white.