A California congressman on Friday pushed back against a colleague’s recent homophobic remark by introducing a new resolution that recognizes the contributions of LGBTQ+ parents, The Advocate reports.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) introduced the Honoring All Families resolution in response to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s assertion last month that a gay person who is the stepmother of two isn’t really a mother.
Greene made the comment at an April 26 House Select Subcommittee on the pandemic during American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten’s testimony.
Greene said Weingarten wasn’t qualified to give advice on school closures because the union leader is “not a medical doctor, not a biological mother, and really, not a teacher either.”
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Weingarten is married to Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, and the couple has two daughters who Kleinbaum brought to the relationship. Weingarten describes herself as a “mother by marriage.”
Garcia at the April 26 hearing called Greene’s comments “unacceptable” and affirmed his support for Weingarten, telling her “You are a mother. Thank you for being a great parent.”
Garcia, who is openly gay, issued a press release announcing the resolution in advance of Mother’s Day.
“As an LGBTQ+ person myself, I know the positive impact chosen family and adoptive figures have on our community. With this resolution, we stand with these families and honor the incredible work they do to nurture, raise, and provide for their loved ones. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and they shape who we are in an immeasurable way,” Garcia’s statement said.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments were gross, bigoted, and invalidated the thousands of loving LGBTQ+ and adoptive families across this country.”
Garcia’s resolution acknowledges the importance of people who become parents through adoption, fostering, and step-parenting and the large number of LGBTQ+ parents.
“A parent’s ability to contribute to their child’s growth and success is not defined by the circumstances by which they became a parent; and families of all backgrounds and circumstances deserve to be recognized, respected, and celebrated,” Garcia’s statement said.
