Image: The Guardian
United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed gay marriage legislation into law describing it as a law that "strikes a blow against hate in all its forms.”
Before signing the Respect for Marriage Act, Biden acknowledged that the road has been long, but those who believe in equality and justice never gave up.
“This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms. And that’s why this law matters to every single American,” President Biden said on the South Lawn of the White House.
This comes amid the widespread adoption of conservative measures on gender issues at the state level.
According to The Guardian, the law, which was approved by both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support, safeguards same-sex and interracial marriages and forbids the federal and state governments from contesting the legitimacy of a legally consummated union on the grounds of sex, race, or ethnicity.
The Defense of Marriage Act (Doma), which barred same-sex couples from receiving government benefits and defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman, is likewise repealed by this bill.
Under the new law, states would not be obligated to grant marriage licenses for same-sex marriage. However, they would now have to recognize unions performed in states where they were lawful.
The new law also includes a religious liberty exemption, that gives churches and non-profits the right to refuse goods, services, and accommodations for same-sex marriages, as a concession to Republicans, The Guardian said.
Biden also acknowledged the fear faced by many LGBTQ+ Americans. Five persons were shot dead and at least 17 were injured at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs last month. The suspect was charged with hate crimes.
Biden promised to keep fighting for further protections while condemning what he called the “callous and cynical” laws passed by Republican state legislatures that target transgender students and athletes.
“Racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, they’re all connected. But the antidote to hate is love,” he said.
Before Biden's speech, the audience viewed a clip from a television interview he gave ten years ago in which he surprisingly stated that he supported gay marriage, humorously stating that he "got in trouble."
Former President Obama also made a public statement endorsing homosexual marriage three days after Biden's expression of support.
Explaining that remark he made years ago, Biden said: “I mean this with all my heart: marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that.”
Vice-president, Kamala Harris, who spoke before Biden, on Tuesday recalled how in 2004 as district attorney of San Francisco she performed some of the earliest same-sex marriages in the US and later, as attorney general of California refused to defend a ban on same-sex marriages in the state.
“The Dobbs decision reminds us that fundamental rights are interconnected,” “including the right to marry who you love, the right to access contraception, and the right to make decisions about your own body,” Harris said about the Supreme Court case that overruled Roe vs Wade and eliminated the right to abortion.
Lawmakers from both parties attended the ceremony on Tuesday.
Same-sex marriage had been one of the most divisive topics in the U.S.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wore the same purple tie to the ceremony that he wore to his daughter’s wedding. His daughter and her wife are expecting their first child in the spring.
“Thanks to the millions out there who spent years pushing for change, and thanks to the dogged work of my colleagues, my grandchild will get to live in a world that respects and honors their mothers’ marriage,” Schumer said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the crowd that “inside maneuvering only takes us so far,” and she thanked activists for adding impetus with “your impatience, your persistence, and your patriotism.”
Among those that attended was the owner of a gay nightclub in Colorado, Club Q, where five people were killed in a shooting last month. Two survivors of the attack also attended.
Singers Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper performed at the event.
Politics and Opinion
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