MADISON, WI – State Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D-Green Bay) is introducing a joint resolution which would update the Wisconsin State Constitution to remove outdated, discriminatory language on marriage. The proposed constitutional amendment, authored by Rivera-Wagner and Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee), would eliminate the currently-unenforceable constitutional restriction that only allows for marriage between one man and one woman.
“I am proud to be introducing this legislation, as this language still stands as a symbol of exclusion – and across the country, we’re seeing past discrimination revived as fuel for present-day hate. We have come a long way since 2006; in a city like Green Bay, where we are building a community for all, we cannot let past injustice stand in the way of a future that allows everyone to thrive. We are a community that takes care of each other no matter who you love, how you show up, how much money you make, what language you speak, your gender or your race,” Rivera-Wagner said.
An amendment to the state constitution, approved by voters via statewide referendum in 2006, restricted marriages in Wisconsin to one man and one woman. In June 2014, a federal court ruled that Wisconsin’s prohibition on same-sex marriage violated the United States Constitution, and the right to marry was affirmed for same-sex couples nationwide a year later with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. While Wisconsin’s marriage amendment hasn’t been enforceable since these court rulings, the language remains on the books.
The joint resolution to remove discriminatory marriage language from the state constitution was circulated for co-sponsors prior to formal introduction. In addition to Rep. Rivera-Wagner and Sen. Carpenter, it has garnered fourteen co-sponsors in the Senate and twenty-nine in the Assembly; no Republicans have so far agreed to co-sponsor.
