Biden Signs Same-Sex Marriage Bill At The White House

In a national context of violence, fear, and uncertainty within the LGBTQ+ community, President Biden has signed the same-sex marriage bill. “This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms,” Biden said on the South Lawn of the White House. “And that’s why this law matters to every single American.” 

Singers Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper performed at the event. “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,” Lauper said at the White House.

Among the attendees were the owner of Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado where five people were killed in a shooting last month, and two survivors of the attack. The suspect has been charged with hate crimes. “Racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, they’re all connected,” Biden said. “But the antidote to hate is love.” 

After the overturn of Roe vs Wade, there was a generalized fear that same-sex marriage could also be on the scope of a conservative-lead Supreme Court, Democrats proposed this bill to Congress and although the majority of Republicans voted against it, enough of them support it so it could pass in both chambers.