December, 08 2022, 11:59am EDT
GLAD Celebrates Final Passage of the Respect for Marriage Act
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed a final version of the Respect for Marriage Act, with a bipartisan vote of 258-169. The U.S. Senate passed the bill on November 29 with a bipartisan vote of 61-36. The bill now heads to President Biden's desk to be signed into law.
GLAD Executive Director Janson Wu issued the following statement:
WASHINGTON
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed a final version of the Respect for Marriage Act, with a bipartisan vote of 258-169. The U.S. Senate passed the bill on November 29 with a bipartisan vote of 61-36. The bill now heads to President Biden's desk to be signed into law.
GLAD Executive Director Janson Wu issued the following statement:
"Today's vote is a win for equality and for the overwhelming majority of Americans across political parties and from all walks of life who support the freedom to marry and want to ensure the dignity, stability, and ongoing protection that marriage provides to families and children. The Respect for Marriage Act solidifies that people's marriages will continue to be respected by our state and federal governments regardless of race or sex.
Loving v. Virginia and Obergefell v. Hodges affirmed that our constitution guarantees the freedom to marry the person you love and have that marriage respected. That is the law of the land, and we will defend against any challenge to it that may arise in the future. Yet, at a time of escalating attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and unprecedented efforts to unravel protections for fundamental rights, this bipartisan action by Congress provides a critical backstop.
The Respect for Marriage Act provides assurance to millions of LGBTQ+ and interracial couples that no matter what, their marriages will continue to be recognized and respected by federal and state actors and government agencies wherever they live, travel, or relocate. While work remains to ensure full equality under the law in all areas of our lives, this is an important step on the road to ensuring all people are fully protected from discrimination and are free to live, work and support their families and communities. The Congress did something very important with this law, and we look forward to continued work with the Congress as well as in our state and local communities to ensure the people's concerns, our concerns, are heard.
We are grateful to the House and Senate leadership and to the Respect for Marriage Act sponsors and look forward to seeing President Biden quickly sign the Respect for Marriage Act into law."
Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education,
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Civil liberties defenders on Thursday decried the U.S. Senate's advancement of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, which critics say lawmakers are trying to ram through without protection against warrantless surveillance and with a provision that would effectively make every American a spy whether they like it or not.
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Columbia President Minouche Shafik informed the campus community on Thursday that she had authorized the police to clear the encampment.
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