The US Senate has passed a bipartisan bill to protect same-sex marriage, a measure that would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law.
With the support of 12 Republicans, the bill passed by a vote of 61 in favor and 36 against on Tuesday.
It is a unique sign of a change in politics in the United States and a relief for the hundreds of thousands of couples who have married since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.
Democrats are moving quickly, while the party still has a majority in both houses of Congress, to send the bill to the House of Representatives and then, they hope, to the desk of US President Joe Biden. .
The bill gained momentum after the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the federal right to abortion in June.
The bipartisan negotiations in the Senate began in the summer, when 47 Republicans unexpectedly voted on a House bill, giving supporters newfound optimism.
The law would not force states to allow same-sex couples to marry, but would require them to recognize all legal marriages and protect current common-law unions if Obergefell v. Hodges 2015 was cancelled.
The bill would also protect interracial marriages, requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.”
A new law to protect same-sex marriages would be a huge victory for Democrats and a victory for advocates who have pushed for federal legislation for decades.
Tuesday’s vote comes as the LGBTQ+ community grapples with violent attacks across the country, including last weekend’s shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado that killed five people and wounded at least 17 others.
Source: TSF
