The ‘Respect for Marriage’ Act signed into law by President Biden
A significant day in history has been made as President Biden signed a marriage equality bill, the ‘Respect for Marriage’ Act.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the ‘Respect for Marriage’ Act into law, making same sex marriage the law of the land. Vice President Kamala Harris was at his side, and the historic moment was witnessed by thousands of people gathered on the South Lawn at the White House. This momentous occasion marks a huge victory for the LGBTQ+ community and further strengthens our nation’s commitment to equality for all.
“I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties,” Biden said when asked whether he was comfortable with same-sex marriage.
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CNN reported a statement by author of Sasha Issenberg, author of “The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage”, “Over the years, Biden has aggressively associated himself with LGBT causes in the years to come, and has in particularly been “unusually bold” when it comes to transgender rights” she said. In January 2016, he raised eyebrows for supporting North Carolina’s controversial bathroom bill, which prohibits people from using public restrooms that don’t correspond with their gender assigned at birth. The vice president is not entirely comfortable, he explained the need for such a measure during an event hosted by Politico earlier this year. But there was a unanimous decision by those we talked to – including some of my family members – that what they’re doing is wrong.
Sam Smith was invited to sing and gave a beautiful performance with hit single “Stay With Me” that had the crowd cheering. After his performance, he said: It’s an honor for me to be here at the White House and I’m so happy to see that in this country our president is finally taking steps in the right direction.
Views on same-sex marriage have come a long way as it was not long ago that it was still frowned upon by the general public. In 2001, Gallup polling found just 27% of Americans supported gay and lesbian marriages. In 2014, support was at 54%. With President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage in 2012, it became a cause he fully backed. And now it is here — with former Vice President Joe Biden signing it into law. This is an extraordinary day, Biden said Tuesday at the ceremony before he signed the legislation. No longer will America be divided by those who find equality under our laws elusive.