President Biden signs landmark same-sex, interracial marriage bill into law

President Biden signed legislation protecting gay and interracial marriage into law on Tuesday before a crowd of thousands at the White House.

“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,” Biden said as he signed the Respect for Marriage Act. “The law recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves. Today’s a good day.”

The legislation, which provides federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriage, came in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion.

In a concurring opinion in the stunning June ruling, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas suggested revisiting two other Supreme Court decisions — one legalizing same-sex unions and the other, interracial marriages.

The Senate passed the marriage equality bill last month in a 61-36 vote, and the House of Representatives did so last Thursday, 258-169.

First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and luminaries galore were on hand for Tuesday’s ceremony on the White House South Lawn, where Cyndi Lauper performed “True Colors.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), was in attendance, wearing the same purple tie that he’d donned for his daughter’s wedding. She and her wife are expecting their first child this spring.

The group on the South Lawn included a slate of lawmakers from both political parties. Also on hand was the owner of the Club Q gay nightclub in Colorado, where a gunman fatally shot five people last month and wounded more than two dozen others. Two survivors of the attack also attended.

“This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms,” Biden said. “And that’s why this law matters to every single American.”

With News Wire Services