On Tuesday evening, the U.S. Senate voted 61-36 to approve the Respect for Marriage Act. If approved by the Senate and the White House, the act would require the federal government to recognize marriages in the state in which they were performed. While it would not force individual states to approve same-sex or interracial marriage, it would provide couples the benefits of marriage “regardless of the couple’s sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
“With today’s bipartisan Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, the United States is on the brink of reaffirming a fundamental truth: love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love. For millions of Americans, this legislation will safeguard the rights and protections to which LGBTQI+ and interracial couples and their children are entitled,” President Joe Biden stated.
“It will also ensure that, for generations to follow, LGBTQI+ youth will grow up knowing that they, too, can lead full, happy lives and build families of their own.”
Before the bill was passed by the Senate, a filibuster and three amendments were presented by Republicans who opposed the act. Moving forward, the act will move back to the U.S. House of Representatives. The House previously passed the Respect for Marriage Act by a vote of 267-157 in July. If the act passes through the House once again, it will then head to the White House for final approval.
