Landmark legislation protecting same-sex marriage has passed the U.S. Senate in an important display of bipartisanship.
The bill, which ensures same-sex and interracial marriages are represented in federal law, passed Tuesday in a 61-36 vote, including the support of 12 Republicans.
Passage of the bill marks a shift in the politics of same-sex marriage and will provide some relief to the hundreds of thousands of couples who have married since 1999. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.
The bill has gained momentum since the Supreme Court decision in June overturned federal abortion rights – A ruling included a concurring opinion by Judge Clarence Thomas that suggested same-sex marriage could also be threatened.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation was “a long time coming.”Photo: Associated Press
president joe biden Praising the bipartisan vote, he said he would sign the bill “swiftly and proudly” if it passes the House, which Republicans won back in midterm elections earlier this month.
He said the bill would ensure that LGBTQ youth “grow up knowing they, too, can lead full, happy lives and start families of their own.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation was “a long time in the making” and part of the “difficult but overwhelming march toward greater equality” in the United States.
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The legislation would not force any state to allow same-sex couples to marry.
However, if the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision is overturned.
Republicans who voted for the legislation included: Tom Tillis and Richard Burr of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio, Todd Young of Indiana, West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito, Mitt Romney of Utah, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Roy Blunt Cynthia Loomis of Missouri, Cynthia Loomis of Wyoming and Alaska Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.