The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies gay and interracial marriage on a bipartisan vote.
Before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said:
Millions of Americans in same-sex marriages carry this dire question lurking in their minds every day. It’s a terrible but necessary acknowledgment that, despite all the progress we’ve made, the constitutional right to same-sex marriage hasn’t even been a decade old, and exists only by virtue of a slim 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court. We all know the courts have changed since that decision.
As we’ve seen this year, past court decisions can easily be undone in the future.
So today’s vote is very personal for many in this chamber. Of course, this is personal to me, and it is personal to many of my colleagues, their employees, and their families. While we still have a few votes to cast, today is certainly an exciting and reassuring moment.
…
I want to thank the Senators who brought us to this point: Senators Sinema and Baldwin, and Collins and Tillis and Portman for their outstanding and tireless work. They did a fantastic job and I am so grateful for them following through even when success seemed out of reach.
Of course, I want to thank all the advocates, volunteers, and organizers, not only for their support of this bill, but for all they have done over the years to make America a fairer and more accepting country for LGBTQ Americans.
The bill was bipartisan, but it can’t be ignored that a majority of Republicans in the Senate don’t think it’s necessary because they say the Supreme Court will never strike down same-sex marriage. Republicans have said the same thing about women’s health care rights, and we all know what happened to Roe.
The bill will return to the House of Representatives this week for final passage before it will be sent to the White House to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
With this vote, millions of Americans are one step closer to seeing the basic right to marry protected.
My Republican colleagues voted to move forward with this legislation. Because of our combined efforts, the rights of tens of millions of Americans will be strengthened under federal law. This is an achievement we should all be proud of.
Of course, I want to thank all the advocates, volunteers, and organizers, not only for their support of this bill, but for all they have done over the years to make America a fairer and more accepting country for LGBTQ Americans.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a congressional correspondent for the White House Press Fellowship and PoliticusUSA. Jason has a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, specializing in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
