On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, President Biden signed a landmark bill to legalize same-sex and interracial marriage. The signing of this bill comes 10 years after his endorsement of the issue when he appeared on “Meet the Press” in May of 2012. Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn at an event held at the White House in front of thousands of people. This was a monumental and deeply personal moment for people all over the country.
“Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love?” the president asked from the South Lawn. “It’s not more complicated than that.” Biden has been a strong supporter of interracial and same-sex marriage since his Vice Presidency alongside President Barack Obama back in 2012. He said that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriages and was “heartened by their growing acceptance across the country.” Today, that statement remains true.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24, 2022, this hijack on human rights sparked a major concern for those part of the LGBTQ+ community. Fear was in the air surrounding the right to same-sex marriage, marriage equality, and consensual same-sex intimacy. Legal experts and rights advocates believed that same-sex marriage would be the first to be challenged by the Supreme Court, whereas interracial marriage, which has the support of constitutional equal rights protection, would be less endangered. The conservative justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court reconsiders cases such as Obergefell v. Hodges, the decision that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, after Roe was overturned.
The historic legislation was passed with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. It will prohibit federal and state governments from denying the legitimacy of a lawful marriage based on race, sex, or ethnicity. The Respect for Marriage Act also repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (Doma), a bill signed by President Clinton in 1996 which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman and said that no state is required to recognize a same-sex marriage marriage performed by another state. It also denied federal benefits to same-sex couples.
Now, after the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, President Biden hopes to propel the nation into one where “decency, dignity, and love are recognized, honored, and protected”. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay member of President Biden’s cabinet, was there alongside his husband, Chasten Buttigieg. The couple was married on June 16, 2018. Tammy Baldwin, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, was also there. She was the first openly gay member of Congress and was in strong support of the passing of this bill.
In his remarks, President Biden touched on the fear many people in the LGBTQ+ community face, most of which has been driven by conservative lawmakers across the country. Some fear tactics have included “backlash over gender issues and alarming incidents of violence” in their communities, such as the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs.
It has also been acknowledged how Biden’s support for LGBTQ+ rights has evolved on a continuum. As a senator from Delaware in 1996, he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. Now, he has formally erased it from legislative existence.
“Racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, they’re all connected, but the antidote to hate is love,” President Biden said after signing this significant bill into law. Biden hopes to foster a country that can be in support of all forms of love. He has been described as the most pro-equality president in the history of the United States, and this law will allow him to continue to live up to that title.
