Joe Biden signed legislation to protect same-sex marriages. He declared that the law and the love it protects “strike a blow against hate of all forms”.
All states must now recognize same-sex marriages.
This is a relief to hundreds of thousands of couples who married after the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing those marriages. They have been worried about what might happen if that ruling was overturned.
As he signed The Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, the US president invited thousands of people to celebrate with him at the White House.
He was also joined by Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harir and Doug Emhoff, his wife.
Cyndi Lauper was a long-standing advocate for gay rights and performed at the event.
The singer stated that “For once, our family, mine and many of my friends – people you know, sometimes even your neighbours – we can rest easy tonight because our families have been validated.”
Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that he would wear the same purple tie for the ceremony as he wore for his daughter’s wedding. His daughter and her spouse are expecting their first child next spring.
He said, “Thanks to many of my colleagues’ hard work, my grandchild can live in a world where their mothers are respected and honored.”
This law will protect gay marriages in the event that the US Supreme Court reverses Obergefell V Hodges, which was its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex unions across the country.
It will also protect interracial unions, as Loving v Virginia, the Supreme Court’s decision that 16 states had banned interracial marriage, in 1967, was overturned.
After the historic day, Mrs Biden tweeted a nighttime picture of the White House.
Last week, Vice President Joe Biden stated that Congress had restored security to millions of families and marriages.
“They have also given hope and dignity to millions upon millions of young people across the country, who can grow-up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they create.”
Tuesday’s signing is the culmination a bipartisan effort that has been ongoing for months. It was sparked in June by Roe v Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that allowed abortion to be legalized across the United States.
It also highlights another chapter in the legacy of Mr Biden on gay rights. Since his election, he has worked to expand LGBT+ rights.
He endorsed same-sex marriages in a 2012 television interview.
A few days later, President Barack Obama declared that he supported gay marriage.
Donald Trump’s attempts to remove transgender people from anti-discrimination protections was reversed by Mr Biden when he was elected president.
At Tuesday’s ceremony, attendees received a card that commemorated the comments of President Obama in his 2012 interview.
“What all this is about is a simple proposition: who do you love?” He said it on NBC’s Meet The Press a decade back.
“Who are you most attracted to, and who will you choose to be loyal to? This is what people are discovering, and it is what all marriages at the root are about.
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