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December 14, 2022

Activists and Lawmakers Gather to Celebrate as Biden Signs Marriage Equality Bill
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President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law Tuesday,
enshrining federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.
Biden spoke at the celebratory event, which featured musical performers
and a White House illuminated in rainbow colors.

President Joe Biden: "Racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia -
they're all connected. But the antidote to hate is love."

The new law would not prevent states from banning same-sex marriage if
the conservative-led Supreme Court overturns Obergefell v. Hodges, but
it would force those states to recognize marriages from another state.
It also repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

Among the speakers at the White House ceremony were Gina and Heidi
Nortonsmith, plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to marriage equality in
Massachusetts. This is Heidi Nortonsmith.

Heidi Nortonsmith: "It takes the efforts of many to bend the arc of
history toward justice. Even now there are so many places where people
in our community are under attack. The work will continue. But look at
how far we've come."



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