Dec. 13 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will sign a bill into law Tuesday that will protect same-sex and interracial marriage.
The Respect for Marriage Act will reach the president’s desk for his signature in a historic moment that codifies the rights to marry a partner regardless of sex or race. The signing comes with a celebration which will be livestreamed starting at 3:30 p.m. EST.
The bill passed the House of Representatives on Thursday by a 258-169 vote. The Senate approved the bill 61-36.
“After the uncertainty caused by the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families,” Biden said in a statement after the House vote.
“They have also provided hope and dignity to millions of young people across this country who can grow up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they build.”
When the act is signed into law, it will require the federal government and all state governments to recognize marriages that were lawfully entered into in a state in which they are legal. It also solidifies protections for interracial couples nationwide.
“While we are one step closer on our long journey to build a more perfect union, we must never stop fighting for full equality for LGBTQI+ Americans and all Americans,” Biden said.
The bill repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, which was passed in 1996. That act recognized marriage as “”only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife” and defines a spouse only as a person “of the opposite sex.”
According to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Tuesday’s celebration will include musical guests and performances, as well as a bipartisan group of lawmakers and leaders in advocacy.
Club Q founder Matthew Haynes and two survivors of the shooting at the LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado will be among those to join the president.
