The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday gave final congressional approval to legislation that provides federal recognition of same-sex marriages, a measure born out of concern that the Supreme Court could reverse its support for legal recognition of such relationships.
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The historic legislation, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, requires federal and state governments to recognize same-s#x and interracial marriages, prohibiting them from denying the validity of a marriage legally performed in another state on the basis of s#x, race or ethnicity.
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The House vote was 258-169, with all of the chamber’s Democrats and 39 Republicans voting in favor – though 169 of the chamber’s Republicans voted against it and one voted “present.” During an emotional bill enrollment ceremony on Thursday, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, wiped tears from her eyes as she thanked the many lawmakers and advocates who made the legislation a reality.
“At last we have history in the making,” Pelosi said. “Not only are we on the right side of history, we’re on the right side of the future: expanding freedom in America.”
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The measure now goes to Democratic President Joe Biden’s desk for signature into law. The act won Senate’s approval last month. The legislation won the support of LGBT advocates as well as a number of religious organizations and entities including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though many American religious conservatives still oppose gay marriage as counter to biblical scripture.
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The measure would repeal a 1996 U.S. law called the Defense of Marriage Act, which among other things denied federal benefits to same-s#x couples. It bars states from rejecting the validity of out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race or ethnicity. The Supreme Court in 1967 declared prohibitions on interracial marriage unconstitutional.
