The funeral plays on the evening newscast. The flag is folded. The honor guard salutes. The eulogies praise a life of public service.
For gay Americans, that service can include a record of votes against our marriages, laws against our bodies, and policies against our military service. The politician may be buried, but the record remains.
In the living room, no one is watching. The moon is up, and the lamp casts light on the men who are together, as men have been before these political careers began, and as they will be long after the last of them end.
Here is a sampling of the record:
1940s–2011
More than 100,000 service members are forced out of the military for their sexuality with almost 13,000 service members discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
1996
Congress passes the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
2023–2026
More than 2,000 anti-LGBTQ+ state bills are filed, and about 211 become law.
2026
At least 11 states introduce bills calling for a ban on same-sex marriage.
2026
Texas still lists "homosexual conduct" as a crime, more than two decades after it became unenforceable.
The Broadcast Ends
In 1996, the year DOMA passed, only 27% of U.S. adults supported legal same-sex marriage. By 2025, there were more than 800,000 married same-sex couples.
The eulogies end. The flag goes to the family. The television goes dark.
In the living room, the lamp is still on. The men are still together. The politicians who voted against them are gone, one funeral at a time. The men remain.