Sam Smith.Photo: Nathan Posner/Shutterstock
Sam Smithis representing the times.
Earlier this week, PresidentJoe Bidenofficially signed theRespect for Marriage Act, affirming federal acknowledgment of both same-sex and interracial marriage.
Performing their hit track “Stay with Me” at the signing ceremony, Smith, 30, changed one lyric in the song from “This ain’t love, it’s clear to see” to “This is love, it’s clear to see,” which they said in anInstagram postWednesday was done “to mark the historic occasion.”
“My deepest thanks to President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for inviting me to perform at the White House, it was a true honor,” Smith —who uses they/them pronouns— wrote on social media.
They added: “Watching President Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act was a landmark moment for freedom of love and hopefully just the beginning of the important work ahead to continue to expand the protections of the LGBTQ+, non-binary and transgender communities; and build towards a world where love is celebrated regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or sexuality.”
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Sam Smith.Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock
Biden, 80, signed the landmark bill on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, following the House of Representatives’final approvalof the legislation in a 258-169 vote last Thursday morning. (The U.S. Senatepassed the bill last month, with12 Republicansjoining Democrats in support.)
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Alongside Smith,Cyndi Lauperalso made a musical guest appearance, where she sang her own tune “True Colors” ahead of the legislation’s signing. Upon signing the bill,Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” could be heard as those looking on applauded the bill becoming law.
RELATED VIDEO: President Biden Signs Historic Same-Sex Marriage Bill: ‘Today Is a Good Day’
TheRespect for Marriage Actofficially appeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which defined marriage as involving a man and woman and gave states the authority to refuse recognition of same-sex couples who had married.
It was first introduced in 2009 and, though it passed the House and was moved to the Senate floor in 2011, the Senate vote never occurred. AfterObergefell v. Hodges— a landmark civil rights case that reached the Supreme Court andlegalized same-sex marriage nationwide on June 26, 2015— there seemed to be no reason to continue pushing for it — until the events of this year.
On June 24, in the most significant unraveling of human rights in modern history, the heavily conservative Supreme CourtoverturnedRoe v. Wade, eliminating pregnant people’s constitutional right to abortion andpaving a path to come for contraceptives and same-sex relationshipsnext.
The new law is not able to require state governments to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or grant them state-level marriage benefits, as states have the ultimate authority over marriage benefits, second only to the Supreme Court.
What it can do,according to language previously released, is “require the federal government to recognize a marriage between two individuals if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed” and “guarantee that valid marriages between two individuals are given full faith and credit, regardless of the couple’s sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
source: people.com
