US President Joe Biden has signed a law passed by Congress that federally shields interracial and same-sex marriage, a victory in the fight for equality that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. The ratification took place in a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in a festive atmosphere and with 3,000 attendees.
Singer Sam Smith performed at the beginning of the program stay with me And Cyndi Lauper impressed the crowd true colorAnthem of the LGTBI community.
Cyndi Lauper performs “True Colors” at the White House Honoring Marriage Act signing ceremony.
Full video here: https://t.co/k9MaTCZQMK pic.twitter.com/JrSKW72WLO
— cspan (@cspan) December 13, 2022
Lauper also made a surprise intervention at the general press conference at the White House. “Once and for all, our families – me and many of my friends, people you know, your neighbors – we can rest easy tonight because our families are ‘validated’ and we are now allowed to love That’s who we are. We love. It sounds strange to say, but now Americans can love who we love. Thanks to Biden and those who made people and their children worry about their future has made it possible to not be allowed to,” said the singer.
The legislation, which automatically went into effect with Biden’s signature, would serve to protect same-sex and interracial marriages in case the conservative-majority Supreme Court overturns court rulings protecting those rights. Specifically, the law prohibits any state from challenging the validity of a marriage, regardless of the gender or race of the parties, if the marriage is legal in the state in which it took place.
“Deciding who to marry is one of the most personal decisions a person can make,” Biden said during the event. The president argued that marriage should come down to only two questions: “Who do you love?” and “Will you be faithful to the person you love?” “This law recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions without government interference,” Biden said.