It is the first time that same-sex and interracial marriages will be recognized under federal law.
Biden signed the bill on the White House’s South Lawn before a cheering crowd of several dozen people. Before the signing, both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke about the landmark legislation. Singers Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper also performed at the signing ceremony.
With the support of 12 Republican Senators, the bill passed the chamber on Nov. 29. The House passed the bill on Dec. 8, with 39 Republicans crossing the aisle to join Democrats.
While considered a historic moment for LGBTQ rights, the law has several provisions that enshrine some religious liberties. Here’s what the law entails:
It formally repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which federally defined marriage as between “one man, one woman.”
States will be required to recognize marriage licenses from other states, including for same-sex and interracial couples.
It does not prohibit states from passing new discriminatory marriage laws or enforcing preexisting measures.
The religious liberty amendment allows nonprofits and organizations to not celebrate and, in some cases, not recognize a marriage that conflicts with their faith.
Democrats scrambled to codify same sex and interracial marriage after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
While Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion noted that the court would only consider the abortion ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that the court should reconsider other previous court rulings that had no legislative backing, such as Obegerfell v. Hodges, the ruling on same-sex marriages, and Loving v. Virginia, the ruling on interracial marriages.
dededos
theartofmadeline
snowghoul
ellievsbear
tangentwithtanner
titsay
origamiaround
