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Pacific Pride Foundation, Carbajal praise House’s vote for bill protecting same-sex and interracial couples COURTESY PHOTOU.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal
The House voted Thursday to send a bipartisan bill codifying marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples to President Joe Biden’s desk.
In a vote of 258 to 169, the House approved the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies the right of marriage of equality guaranteed by Supreme Court decisions in Obergefell and Loving. It also prohibit states from denying the marriages of other states based on the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of the spouses.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last week and is expected to be signed into law by President Biden in the coming days, also repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and provides additional legal protections for same-sex and interracial couples.
“Today’s passage of the Respect for Marriage Act in the House is an important step on the historic path to protection for LGBTQ+ families and all families,” Kristin Flickinger, executive director of Pacific Pride Foundation, told the News-Press in an email. The foundation serves the LGBTQ community in Santa Barbara County.
“This bipartisan achievement is the work of many LGBTQ+ organizations, advocates, and members of Congress, who have been dedicated to ensuring its passage at this challenging time,” Ms. Flickinger said.
“Once signed into law, this legislation will ensure the dignity, rights and protections of marriage for LGBTQ+ people and their families,” she said. “Congress’ next step must be to pass nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people to ensure equality under the law, so that individuals and families can live and work and support their families and communities, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Passage of the Respect for Marriage Act received praise from one of its co-sponsors — U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal.
“Just less than a decade ago, we celebrated the landmark (Supreme Court) decision that affirmed the right for millions of Americans to marry the person they love, regardless of sex, gender, or sexual orientation,” Rep. Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, last year the radical Supreme Court explicitly opened the door to attacking that right, for both same-sex and interracial couples, as they’re gutting the right to reproductive health care,” Rep. Carbajal said. “My colleagues and I are not going to stand by as our courts threaten this important progress that we have made. We are acting to codify marriage equality and make it clear to our Supreme Court that this right is not theirs to erase. I am proud to cosponsor this important affirmation of the rights of millions, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law in the near future.”
The Respect for Marriage Act requires that under federal law, an individual will be considered married if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed. The bill also prohibits any person acting under state law from denying full faith and credit to an out-of -state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of the individuals in the marriage. It also provides the attorney general with the authority to pursue enforcement actions, and it creates a private right of action for any individual harmed by a violation of this provision.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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