Democratic legislators announced a bill Thursday to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage ban the week after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit to end the ban.
Milwaukee Democrats Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, who is bisexual, and Sen. Tim Carpenter, who is gay, announced the bill at a press conference at the Capitol, saying public opinion has changed since voters approved the ban in a 2006 referendum.
“In less than 10 years we have seen a dramatic shift in public opinion on this issue and it is time for the legislature to act,” Zamarripa said in a statement. “All Wisconsinites deserve the right to enjoy the benefits of marriage regardless of who they love.”
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said the bill is unlikely to receive a public hearing during this legislative session, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Vos told the Journal Sentinel he believed Wisconsin voters have not changed their views on the gay marriage ban since it was adopted in 2006.
“Going back and rehashing things that have already been debated and pretty clearly decided is not the direction I want to go,” Vos said. “I want to focus on moving forward, not rehashing every single thing that’s happened in the past.”
