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Rainbow lights illuminated the south portico of the White House yesterday. The display came after President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act.
The House passed the legislation last week by a vote of 258-169. The Act offers federal protections to same-sex marriages and interracial marriages. The Senate previously passed it a week earlier but added amendments that required a second vote in the House.
The outdoor signing ceremony was attended by around 2,000 lawmakers, LGBTQ advocates and campaigners. Performances came from Sam Smith and long-time LGBTQ ally Cyndi Lauper.
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President Biden posted a series of tweets celebrating the passing of the legislation.
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“Today, America takes another step toward equality. Toward liberty and justice not just for some, but for all,” he said beforehand. “Because today, I sign the Respect for Marriage Act into law.”
Marriage is a simple proposition: who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love?
It’s not more complicated than that.
The Respect for Marriage Act recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 13, 2022
As Mildred Loving said: previous generations were “bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right.”
Today, with the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, we celebrate our progress.
There are few things as clear and right as marriage equality. pic.twitter.com/lz9WtQqSsi
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 14, 2022
If there is one message that breaks through from today, it’s that this law – and the love it defends – strikes a blow against hate in all its forms.
Celebrate with us as I sign the historic Respect for Marriage Act into law. pic.twitter.com/0NFNNCtVVK
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 13, 2022
He went on to thank advocates who fought for this moment.
The road to this moment has been long. But those who believed in equality never gave up.
Today is for the Lovings, Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer, the 16 plaintiffs in the Obergefell case, and many others who fought for this.
From me and the entire nation: Thank you.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 14, 2022
During yesterday’s ceremony, Biden also called on lawmakers to pass the Equality Act. It would offer further protections to LGBTQ people.
“When a person can be married in the morning and thrown out of a restaurant for being gay in the afternoon, this is still wrong. Wrong,” he said.
The Respect for Marriage Act is now the law of the land!
With pride, fortitude and unbreakable unity, @POTUS and the Democratic Congress have achieved a landmark victory in the fight for full equality. pic.twitter.com/qxKpzOEZvz
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 14, 2022
Why do we need the Respect for Marriage Act?
Although the US Supreme Court made same-sex marriage across the US in 2015, justices indicated over the summer the decision could be reviewed. It came in the wake of SCOTUS repealing pro-abortion laws.
Lawmakers introduced the Respect for Marriage Act to offer some federal level of protection, even if amendments offering some religious exemptions were added to get it over the line.
Related: GOP nutjob becomes hysterical as she begs fellow lawmakers not to vote for same-sex marriage bill
The legislation requires the federal government and states to recognize legally performed marriages in other states and repeals the Defense of Marriage Act. That 1996 bill recognized marriage as “only a legal union between one man and one woman.”
“It’s one thing for the Supreme Court to rule on a case,” said Biden yesterday. “But it’s another thing entirely if elected representatives of the people take a vote on the floor of the United States Congress and say loudly and clearly: Love is love, right is right, justice is justice.”
Yesterday was not the first time the White House glowed with rainbow lights. Following the SCOTUS ruling in 2015, the Obama administration similarly illuminated the north side of the building.
🇺🇸: Sam Smith performing “Stay With Me” at the White House for the signing of the Respect for Marriage pic.twitter.com/oLZ20Dd4OR
— SmithCharts (@SmithCharts) December 13, 2022
Related: Sam Smith’s latest look brings out the trolls as “Unholy” continues to dominate the charts
thebaddestbabby
my boyfriend and I were going to get married this summer but he can’t get enough time off from work (he works for amtrak)
dbmcvey
How much time do you think it takes to get married?
Kangol2
Marry on the train and have a whistle-stop honeymoon!
thebaddestbabby
more than one day but seven days would be more than enough
Fahd
A very thoughtful and precautionary step by a Democratic congress to preserve an important civil right before the Republicans take control of the House and in the face of the most backward (and corrupt) U.S. Supreme Court since the beginnings of the 20th century. (Yes, some Republican Senators helped – may their time in Purgatory be reduced).
Let’s see how the reactionary States now try to undermine the application of the law in practice. The fight is not over by any measure.
Kangol2
It’s not the strongest bill but it is nevertheless a huge step by the Democrats (with minimal GOP assistance) and a Democratic US president to protect the huge gain in equality that same-sex and interracial marriages represent. It’s appalling that they even had to take this step but the anti-liberal, right-wing and fascist anti-LGBTQ forces out there are not about to concede and are working hard to demonize LGBTQ people, our loved ones and our families, and strip away our rights and equality and find new ways to discriminate against us. I really hope more LGBTQ understand what a huge step this was and publicly acknowledge it!
bachy
The forces mounting against us are doing so only because they fear our truth and our power to break through petrified, outdated, biased interpretations of the American dream. It is the outsiders, the disenfranchised, the queer and the empowered who are increasingly poised to transform American society – from a 246 year old humanistic vision into a contemporary reality.
Ronbo
We need to also celebrate that Joe Biden ushered in our political acceptance on MTP in 2012 saying, “Look, I just think that the good news is that as more and more Americans come to understand what this is all about is a simple proposition: who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that’s what people are finding out is what all marriages at their root are about, whether they’re marriages of lesbians or gay men or heterosexuals.”
Biden is a good man. He’s not perfect like President Obama who told us he would not integrate the military because “God is in the mix”. Remember this when you talk about great presidents.
GayEGO
My husband and I were together 57 years, married 15 years in Massachusetts in 2004. It is great to have a president who respects our rights and shows the world who America is!