The US Senate also agrees to protect same-sex marriage

After the House of Representatives, now the US Senate has also passed a law that should protect same-sex marriages. The same is true for marriages of couples of different ethnic origins.

The bill is intended to ensure that same-sex marriages and so-called interracial marriages are included in federal law. 61 senators, including 12 Republicans, voted in favor, 36 against.

Currently, US federal law still defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, although same-sex marriage has been legalized in all states following a 2015 Supreme Court ruling.

Many progressive Americans fear that the US Supreme Court, dominated by conservative justices, will overturn that 2015 ruling. That also happened earlier this year with abortion rights.

What about abortion rights and why has this been a topic of discussion in the United States for years? Correspondent Marieke de Vries explains it in this video:

Proponents of the newly passed law see it as an important milestone for all Americans who have married someone of the same sex or other ethnic background since 2015.

At the same time, the bill does not go as far as requiring all states to legalize same-sex marriage. In other words, if the Supreme Court overturns the 2015 “legalization” ruling, individual states can choose to ban same-sex marriage. However, the new law requires that they must then recognize same-sex marriages that have been concluded in other states.

President Biden expressed satisfaction after the Senate passed the bill. “For millions of Americans, this legislation will provide the rights and protections that LGBTI and interracial couples and their children are entitled to,” he said.

“As a married queer person, I now feel a sense of relief. I know my family is safe,” the president of an organization working for LGBTI rights told the AP news agency.

The bill has yet to return to the House of Representatives due to a minor amendment made by the Senate. It will probably happen this year and it is expected to be a formality, because the Democrats are the majority in the House. Biden says he will sign the law “quickly and proudly” next.