The Senate passed legislation on Tuesday to protect same-sex and interracial marriages in a landmark bipartisan vote, CBS reports.
The Respect for Marriage Act was approved 61-36, with support from all Democrats and 12 Republican votes. The House must now approve the legislation before being sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
“With today’s bipartisan Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, the United States is on the brink of reaffirming a fundamental truth: love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love,” Biden said in a statement.
“For millions of Americans, this legislation will safeguard the rights and protections to which LGBTQI+ and interracial couples and their children are entitled. It will also ensure that, for generations to follow, LGBTQI+ youth will grow up knowing that they, too, can lead full, happy lives and build families of their own,” he added.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion nationwide, Democrats made same-sex marriage a top priority.
The bill would require the federal government to recognize legal marriages in the state where they were performed at the time. It would also guarantee full benefits for marriages “regardless of the couple’s sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin,” but it would not compel states to issue marriage licenses contrary to state law.
Should the Supreme Court overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage, a state may still pass legislation prohibiting same-sex marriage, but that state must still recognize a same-sex marriage from another state.
Support for same-sex marriage among Americans reached a record high of 70 percent, according to a June 2021 poll from Gallup. The Respect For Marriage Act is expected to be passed by the House before the end of the year.
