The Senate passed bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex marriages, an extraordinary sign of change in national policy on the issue and a measure of relief for hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Senate decision. 2015 Supreme Court that legalized homosexuality.
The bill, which would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law, passed 61-36. He had the support of 12 Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation was “a long time coming” and was part of America’s “difficult but inexorable march toward greater equality.”
The legislation now goes to the House for a final vote, probably next week.
President Joe Biden praised the bipartisan vote and said he would sign the bill “quickly and proudly” if the House passes it. He said it will ensure that LGBTQ youth “grow up knowing that they, too, can lead full and happy lives and raise families of their own.”
The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court’s June decision that struck down the federal right to abortion, a ruling that included a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting that same-sex marriage could also be threatened. .
The bipartisan Senate negotiations began this summer when 47 Republicans unexpectedly voted in favor of a House bill, giving supporters newfound optimism. The legislation would not force any state to allow same-sex couples to marry. But it would require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they took place and protect existing same-sex unions if the 2015 Obergefell court decision were to be overturned. vs. Hodges.
The incident comes as the LGBTQ community is receiving violent attacks, such as last weekend’s shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado that killed five people and injured at least 17.
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay senator and the primary sponsor of the bill, hugged Schumer and other senators when the final vote was announced.
Baldwin, who has worked on gay rights issues for nearly four decades, thanked the same-sex and interracial couples who he said made this moment possible. “By living as yourselves, you changed the hearts and minds of the people around you,” he wrote.
