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John Thune

Senate Majority Leader-elect

U.S. Senator from South Dakota

Updated: November 22, 2024

—Voted against the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. Now a federal law, the Respect for Marriage Act officially repealed DOMA and requires the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages.

—Voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Signed into law by President Obama in 2009, it is a significant federal law that expanded hate crime legislation in the United States. This Act is the first federal statute allowing criminal prosecution of hate crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

—Voted against the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which barred openly gay people from serving in the military.

—Voted for a 2006 U.S. constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage throughout the country.

The GLAAD Accountability Project catalogs anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and discriminatory actions of politicians, commentators, organization heads, religious leaders, and legal figures, who have used their platforms, influence and power to spread misinformation and harm LGBTQ people.