Biden signs historic legislation to enshrine marriage equality

President Biden on Tuesday signed legislation to safeguard marriage equality after Congress, for the first time in history, approved federal protections for same-sex marriage.

The Respect for Marriage Act passed the House on Thursday in a 258-169-1 vote, with 39 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure. The Senate cleared the measure last week in a 61-38 vote; 12 GOP senators joined on to the bill once it included an amendment outlining some protections for religious beliefs.

Biden has championed the legislation, with the White House describing the Respect for Marriage Act as “personal” to him. He signed the legislation at a celebratory event at the White House with over 2,000 attendees.

“The road for the moment has been long but those who believe in equality and justice, you never gave up,” Biden said. “Many of you standing on the South Lawn here. So many of you put your relationships on the line, your jobs on the line, your lives on the line to fight for the law I’m about to sign.”

He later quoted himself from those remarks: “As I’ve said before and some of you might remember on a certain TV show 10 years ago — I got in trouble — marriage, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, marriage is a simple proposition, who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that.”