November 30, 2022 | Sex & Society

US Senate passes Respect for Marriage Act

In a vote of 61-36, the US Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation establishes marriage equality in federal law, protecting same-sex marriages even if the aggressively right-wing Supreme Court overturns its 2015 ruling that established equal marriage rights.

The bill now returns to the House of Representatives, after the Senate added an amendment to it aimed at protecting religious freedom. Once approved there, it just needs to be signed by President Joe Biden.

The bill passed with the help of 12 Republicans voting in favor of it. It needed 60 votes to pass.

"What a great day," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "What a great day."

"With today’s bipartisan Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, the United States is on the brink of reaffirming a fundamental truth: love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "It will also ensure that, for generations to follow, LGBTQI+ youth will grow up knowing that they, too, can lead full, happy lives and build families of their own."

“When we read Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we knew it was intended to be a rallying cry for anti-equality forces demanding that marriage equality be on the chopping block next," said a statement from LGBTQ Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker. "We also understood that with a Supreme Court bent on choosing politics over precedent, enshrining LGBTQ freedoms into federal law once and for all was essential.

“Representation is power. Despite lacking equitable representation, our LGBTQ congressional delegation consistently punches above their weight. We aren’t always the loudest, we aren’t always the most visible, but we have the grit and thick skins to fight the hardest."

See, good things do happen.