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President Biden signs gay marriage bill into law

"This law and the love it defends strikes a blow against hate and all its forms".

By Alastair James

President Joe Biden poses for his 2021 official portrait
President Joe Biden poses for his 2021 official portrait in the Library of the White House. (Image: Adam Schultz/Wiki Commons)

In a historic move, President Joe Biden has signed a bill that codifies gay marriage into United States law.

The Respect for Marriage Act grants greater marriage equality to same-sex couples as well as interracial couples in all 50 states in America. The bill was first passed by the US Senate before also being approved by the House of Representatives last week.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday (13 December) Biden said: “Today is a good day. Today America takes a vital step toward equality towards liberty and justice. Not just for some — but for everyone.”

He also recognised that these basic rights had been denied to so many for so long. “We failed to treat them with equal dignity and respect,” he added of gay marriage.

Biden also said: “This law and the love it defends strikes a blow against hate and all its forms, and that’s why this law matters to every single American, no matter who you are or who you love”.

Before the bill was signed Cyndi Lauper gave a joyous performance to mark the occasion. She also addressed reporters at a White House press conference.

“I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, Vice President [Kamala} Harris, and all the advocates and his team for once our families for — mine and a lot of my friends and people you know, sometimes your neighbours, we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated, and because now we’re allowed to love who we love,” she said.

Biden’s signing of the Act marks an evolution in his stance on gay marriage as during his time as a senator he had voted for a law that came into effect in 1996 that banned them. But as Vice-President under Barack Obama, Biden came out in support of gay marriage.

The US achieved country-wide gay marriage equality in 2015, after the Supreme Court struck down all state bans, legalising it in 50 states.

Gay marriage
Gay marriage in the US now has greater protections (Image: Pexels)

The new bill supports gay marriage rights in federal law, further solidifying nationwide protections under the prior Supreme Court ruling.

Additionally, the act will require states to recognise valid gay marriages that took place in other states as well as ensuring federal benefits are also accessible to married same-sex couples.

The act does not set a national requirement that all states must legalise same-sex marriage, however.

The Respect for Marriage Act follows the Supreme Court this year overturning Roe v. Wade – a 1973 ruling that legalised abortion nationwide in the US – thus allowing many conservative states to restrict or ban abortions.