Following the lead of President Barack Obama, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer endorsed gay marriage Thursday, moving beyond his earlier support for civil unions.
In a statement, the Maryland Democrat compared laws against gay marriage to anti-miscegenation statutes.
“I have believed that the phrase ‘civil union’ was an appropriate definition of a relationship that is both different and the same between two people of the same sex. And I have believed strongly that such couples must be treated equally under the law,” Hoyer said. “Because I believe that equal treatment is a central tenet of our nation, I believe that extending the definition of marriage to committed relationships between two people, irrespective of their sex, is the right thing to do and will not, in any way, undermine the institution of marriage so important to our society nor impose a threat to any individual marriage.”
With Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid backing gay marriage Wednesday, Hoyer was the lone gay marriage holdout among top Democratic congressional leaders.
Like Obama, he was almost certain to face political pressure on the issue before the fall. The Maryland General Assembly passed same-sex marriage legislation earlier this spring, and the issue is likely to be up for a referendum in November.
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