U.S. President Joe Biden has signed legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages at the federal level. The broadcast was hosted by CBS News.
The new act repeals a law signed in 1996 that recognizes that "marriage is a union between a man and a woman."
“For most of our history, we have denied protection to interracial and same-sex couples. We did not treat them with due respect. (…) Interracial and same-sex marriages must now be legal in every state.”
The White House was temporarily illuminated with the colors of the rainbow.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States in 2015, when the Supreme Court heard the case Obergefell v. Hodges. During the meeting, it was established that marriage equality is a fundamental right of a US citizen. President Donald Trump appointed conservative justices to the Supreme Court. In 2022, the court overturned the decision in the case of Roe v. Wade, which secured the right to abortion in the United States, and the country began to fear a similar situation with same-sex marriage. Now the document, approved by the Senate, enshrines the right to such marriages at the federal level. All Democrats and 12 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 36 senators opposed it.