The United States House of Representatives took a monumental decision on Tuesday when they decided to approve the bill that protects same-sex and interracial marriages.
The step is seen as a big step in the history of the nation and came to be after the decades-long battles for the recognition of such unions.
President Joe Bien signed the Respect For Marriage Act on Tuesday. The event was seen as a step in building a nation where decency, dignity, and love are recognized, honored, and protected.
The signing ceremony was a very grand function that took place on the South Lawn of the White House. The function included thousands of happy citizens witnessing the event and it was followed by a performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC.
The bill signed by the president will require all the states to recognize same-sex marriages, which is a relief to thousands of people who will be free to lead their life as they wish.
While some states agreed with such marriages, there were several states in the US where same-sex marriages were illegal. After the signing of the Act, it is official that all such marriages are legal nationwide.
Before signing the Respect for Marriage Act, President Jo Bien stated that the road to the moment was not easy and it had been long.
He also mentioned that it was those who believed in the idea of justice and equality, who never really gave up, and who ultimately made the moment possible. Biden also added that the new law and the love which is defended by the law will be a great blow to hate in all its forms.
Rather than being just a law, the moment was very personal to some of the attendees like Pete Buttigieg, who is the transportation secretary, and also Tammy Baldwin, who is the Democratic Senator from Wisconsin.
Buttigieg is the first openly gay cabinet member and Baldwin is a lead sponsor of the bill and also the first openly gay member of that chamber.
Respect For Marriages Act
Respect for Marriages Act is a landmark United States Federal law that was passed by the 117th United State Congress. President Joe Biden signed it into law.
The law requires all the states and union territories of the nation to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages and also protects religious liberty across the nation. The Respect for Marriages Act repeals the Defense of Marriages Act.
With the signing of the Act by the president, it is now a federal law of the United States and it will take the anti-LGBTQI+ Defense Against Marriage Act from the books.
As the law becomes official, all government establishments will have to recognize and respect a marriage regardless of sex, gender, ethnicity race, or even the nation of their origin.
The law also stops the state from using any of the factors such as sex, gender, ethnicity, or national origin of a couple to deny them any rights, protection, or duties. The law requires every state to recognize marriages in accordance with the decisions in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) and Loving v. Virginia (1967).
The law enforces every state to recognize same-sex or interracial marriage which was performed in the past or is about to be performed in the future in places where it is legal, which include other states.
In simple terms, this means that same-sex and interracial couples who are legally married today will be able to enjoy all the rights and freedom granted to them by the nation’s law, just like any other citizen of the country, based on the status of their marriage.
According to the reports of the United States Census Bureau in 2021, this includes sound 710,000 same-sex couples and about 105 married households, spending on the reports of 2012 – 2016.
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The signing of the act and the view of president Biden were also a result of the change that took over time.
Years before being the president and when he was a Senator, Biden supported laws like the Defense of Marriage Act, which was known as DOMA of 1996. In the 2008 vice presidential elections, Biden also was not a supporter of changing the civil definition of marriage.
But in 2012, vice president Joe Biden expressed his support for same-sex love.
Kamala Harris recalled her experiences from 2004 Valentine’s Day when she performed some of the country’s first same-sex marriage in San Fransisco. He mentioned the tears of joy that she saw in people when they celebrated the basic human right of being free to be with the person they love and also the right to be recognized as a family.
As night came, the South Portico of the White House was illuminated in rainbow colors to celebrate the historic day and also to declare to the world that love is love.
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