The Republican-led Tennessee legislature has overwhelmingly voted to send the Republican governor, Bill Lee, a proposal that would ban marriage between first cousins.
The statehouse adopted the law on Thursday by a vote of 75-2, following the senate's unanimous approval earlier in the session.
Rep. Gino Bulso, a Republican who was one of the opponents who spoke up, spent the majority of the debate advocating for an amendment that would allow marriages between first cousins if the couple first sees a genetic counselor.
Bulso jokingly mentioned during a previous committee hearing on the bill that his grandparents were first cousins who immigrated to the US from Italy in the 1920s and later went from Ohio to Tennessee for their marriage. Bulso voted in favor of the bill on that committee while he and the other MPs giggled.
The socially conservative attorney then argued that gay couples are not at risk of their married cousins having a child with birth problems during Thursday's floor debate.
He claimed that there was no compelling government interest to ban same-sex cousins from getting married, saying that would violate the US Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling.
Furthermore, he used the phrase "grievously wrong" to frame his argument against the Supreme Court's ruling legalizing gay marriage.
Legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community has received Bulso's support, including a bill he is proposing that would outlaw displaying Pride flags in public school classrooms, a move that civil liberties advocates claim violates the US Constitution.
Bulso asked if there was a public health issue with a male marrying a male first cousin. He noted that he thinks the answer is no.
Ultimately, lawmakers rejected Bulso's proposal and approved the ban proposed by Democratic representative Darren Jernigan.
"I hope it's safe to say that in 2024, we can close this loophole," Jernigan said.
According to Jernigan, a 1960 attorney general's ruling held that a Tennessee law from the 1820s restricting some family weddings does not prevent first cousins from getting married.
In response to Bulso, he said that his law did not violate the rule on gay marriage.
Republican representative Monty Fritts was the other member to vote against the bill.
