Man in glasses wearing a blue shirt smiling in front of a tree.

While the Republican Party has a well-deserved reputation for being proudly anti-LGBTQ, openly gay Missouri state Rep. Chris Sander (R) is fighting to repeal his state’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as only being “between a man and a woman.”

The state adopted the marriage amendment in 2004. Even though the law was nullified by the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, if that decision is ever overturned, Missouri’s ban would go back into effect.

So, to prevent that, Sander has submitted a bill that would redefine marriage instead as a union between “two individuals.”

“My intent with the language is to have the Missouri Constitution in line with federal law because I believe federal law is the correct ruling,” he told The Missouri Independent. “A majority of Americans would like to see any two individuals be allowed to be married.”

Sander is hopeful that he can find enough Republican legislators and Democratic supporters to help pass his bill. But he may be fighting an uphill battle.

For 24 years, the state’s Republican-led legislature has repeatedly failed to pass anti-discrimination protections for sexual orientation or gender identity, The Independent reported. Instead, GOP state lawmakers recently tried to pass legislation banning transgender student-athletes from competing in school sports. Luckily, their efforts have failed so far.

One of Sander’s colleagues, state Rep. Michael Davis (R) has suggested an alternative for changing the state’s marriage law. He wants to rename the legal joining of two individuals as “domestic union contracts.” While these contracts would technically be the same as marriages in the eyes of the state, it could potentially create confusion over whether the should be legally recognized as marriages by other states and organizations.

At the federal level, 69 Republican House Members and 36 Republican Senators recently voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that ensures that U.S. citizens married in states with legalized same-sex marriages will have their unions recognized by state and federal governments. The bill still passed with minor Republican support and was signed into law this past Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Sander was unimpressed with Republicans who argued against the law, particularly Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R) whose speech against the bill went viral. A teary-eyed Hartzler claimed that the bill would destroy “the traditional family, silencing voices of faith, and permanently undoing our country’s God-woven foundation.”

Back in 2004, Hartzler served as the spokesperson supporting the effort to ban same-sex marriage in Missouri’s constitution.

Sander said he disagreed with Hartzler’s weepy speech, noting, “Freedom of religion is not just freedom of your religion. It is also the freedom of my religion.”

During his time in his state’s House, Sander has co-sponsored progressive bills that address anti-LGBTQ discrimination protections and also eliminate sales taxes for necessary items like food and optical aids. While his amendment may face pushback from his Republican colleagues, he may also represent a cultural shift in his party; one that isn’t willing to harass LGBTQ couples for political gain.

Related: That sobbing GOP lawmaker’s cute gay nephew would like to have a word with his homophobic aunt

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