Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution Friday that would formally recognize and celebrate diverse family units across the nation.
The introduction of the resolution, which Garcia’s office said is a “direct response” to comments made during a House hearing last month by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that suggested non-biological mothers are not actual mothers, comes on the eve of Mother’s Day weekend.
Greene repeatedly claimed that American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, who is a stepmother, is “not a mother” during an April 26 hearing.
“The problem is people like you need to admit that you’re just a political activist, not a teacher, not a mother and not a medical doctor,” Greene told Weingarten at the hearing, which had set out to investigate the role AFT played in influencing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s school reopening guidance following pandemic closures.
Garcia responded by calling Greene’s comments “unacceptable.”
“It’d be nice if we didn’t attack the witnesses, particularly making a decision about whether or not she’s a mother,” he said during last month’s hearing.
“You are a mother,” he added to Weingarten. “Thank you for being a great parent.”
Garcia’s “Honoring All Families” resolution affirms Congress’s support for all types of families — especially LGBTQ families and families who adopt — as legitimate and deserving of recognition and respect.
“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,” the resolution states, “and families of all backgrounds and circumstances deserve to be recognized, respected, and celebrated.”
Democratic Reps. Raul Ruiz (Calif.), Becca Balint (Vt.), Angie Craig (Minn.) and Mark Pocan (Wis.) are co-leading the resolution, which is also endorsed by the Congressional Equality Caucus, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Voice for Adoption, among other groups.
Garcia, who is openly gay, on Friday noted the significance of “chosen family” and adoptive figures within the LGBTQ community.
“Families come in all shapes and sizes, and they shape who we are in an immeasurable way,” he said in a statement. Greene’s comments, he added, “invalidated the thousands of loving LGBTQ+ and adoptive families across this country.”