Sam Smith & Cyndi Lauper Perform as President Joe Biden Signs Bill to Protect Same-Sex Marriage
President Joe Biden signed the historic Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday (Dec. 13), protecting same-sex and interracial marriages across the country.
The new law also protects against a situation in which the Supreme Court were to overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriages in the U.S, as Associate Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in June. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives with a vote of 258-169, and 61-36 in the Senate.
“Today, America takes a vital step toward equality, toward liberty and justice, not just for some, but for everyone,” Biden said at the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. “Toward creating a nation where decency, dignity, and love are recognized, honored and protected.”
At the ceremony, Cyndi Lauper sang her iconic hit, “True Colors,” while Sam Smith took the stage to perform their breakthrough 2014 ballad, “Stay With Me.”
Lauper also gave a speech in the White House briefing room to commemorate the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act. “I came here because I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, Vice President [Kamala] Harris and all the advocates on his team. For once, our families — mine and a lot of my friends and people you know, sometimes your neighbors — we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated.”
She concluded, “Now, we’re allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love. Bless Joe Biden and all the people that worked on this for allowing people not to worry and their children not to worry about their future.”
See via Twitter below.
Rania Aniftos
Billboard
