Connor Dullinger
President Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan bill that codifies same-sex and interracial marriage on Tuesday, December 13th.
After a 258-169 vote with one member of the House voting “present’ on Thursday, December 8th, the landmark legislation “Respect for Marriage Act” cleared Congress allowing President Biden to sign into law the bipartisan bill.
Originally, the bill had little chance of enactment, but after only a few months the legislation took an unlikely path and was signed into law by President Biden.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi banged her gavel repeatedly and triumphantly after the decision was made.
“Today, we stand up for the values the vast majority of Americans hold dear: A belief in the dignity, beauty and divinity — spark of divinity — in every person, and abiding respect for love so powerful that it binds two people together,” Pelosi said on the House floor before the voting took place.
After the vote was concluded in the House President Biden applauded the action by Congress.
“This was a critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry a person they love,” Biden said.
The push to pass this bill started when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court “should also reconsider precedents enshrined in marriage equality.”
Students at Newtown High School were elated to hear the news of the new legislation.
“I’m so excited that this legislation was passed by President Biden because it’s really important to moving forward in our country, and I feel like it’s been so long before having something like this signed and it’s long overdue,” NHS Senior Leah Crebbin said. “I don’t understand why it has taken so long but I’m grateful that we have people in office today that care about LGBTQ rights and that they are being valued in the government.”
This landmark legislation was a huge win for the LGBTQ community and was a largely bipartisan bill.