same-sex marriage

The Jackson County Republican Party considered censuring state Rep. Chris Sander, a Lone Jack Republican, after he introduced an amendment changing the Missouri Constitution’s language defining marriage.

Mirroring federal legislation passed on Dec. 8, Missouri Rep. Chris Sander, a Republican from Lone Jack, has pre-filed a bill to recognize marriage between two individuals.

Rep. Chris Sander of Lone Jack has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to say valid marriages are between “two individuals" rather than "between a man and a woman.” Missouri's current language, adopted in 2004, no longer has any legal authority but will remain on the books until changed.

Both Missouri and Kansas have laws on the books that would ban same-sex marriage if the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its Obergefell decision. The Respect for Marriage Act wouldn't change that, but it requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

A bill that would enshrine recognition of same-sex and interracial marriage into law passed the U.S. Senate this week, with support from Republican Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt. That's despite a last minute plea from Missouri's Secretary of State to vote against the legislation.

The Senate has approved a bill to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages by a 61-36 vote. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Kansas Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran voted against the bill. It now heads back to the House where it is expected to be passed quickly.

The "Respect For Marriage Act" would ensure same-sex and interracial marriages will continue to be recognized regardless of future Supreme Court rulings. Sen. Roy Blunt and 11 other Republicans joined Democrats in a procedural vote, while Missouri's Sen. Josh Hawley and both Kansas senators voted no.

Members of the LGBTQ community in Missouri fear the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the right to an abortion could endanger gay marriage, or other rights to bodily autonomy.

In his new book, Sasha Issenberg argues that the LGBTQ community's focus was elsewhere when conservative Christians unleashed an attack against same-sex marriage.

The Vatican says Catholic priests are not to bless same-sex unions because God "cannot bless sin."

The new Buck O'Neil Bridge design has not been well-received and the Vatican says it will not bless same-sex marriages.

A Catholic parish school in Praire Village, Kansas, opted not to enroll a same-sex couple's child in kindergarten. We examine the reasoning behind the…