AFP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
US President Biden has signed into law a bill protecting same-sex marriage. The ceremony was held in front of the White House in front of thousands of people, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
On the front lawn of the White House, the president stressed the importance of the law for all Americans. “This law and the love it represents deals a serious blow to hate in all its forms,” Biden said. The moment was celebrated with performances by Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper.
The new law nullifies the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The law states that same-sex couples do not enjoy the same rights and recognition as opposite-sex couples. Same-sex marriage has been legal in all states since a Supreme Court ruling in 2015. The new law also protects marriages between people of different ethnicities.
The law was passed by parliament earlier this year. If the Supreme Court reverses the 2015 ruling, individual states can choose not to allow same-sex marriage. The new law requires states to recognize same-sex marriages in other states.
