Biden signs same-sex marriage bill in musical White House ceremony

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed into law Tuesday a bill to protect same-sex marriages, at a White House ceremony resembling a victory lap set to a soundtrack of pop music stars Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper.

The South Lawn ceremony featured performances from the two artists, as well as speeches from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and the couple that brought the lawsuit that prompted a Massachusetts court to legalize same-sex marriage in that state.

Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, Lauper performed her song “True Colors,” which also shares the name of a group to fight LGBTQ homelessness she cofounded in 2008. Smith, who performed the hit song “Stay With Me,” came out as gay in 2014 and nonbinary in 2019.

Biden, in a speech, emphasized the importance of congressional action to formally repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and codify federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Supporters said the law in part would be a backstop in case the Supreme Court ever reversed its 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriages nationwide.

“It is one thing for the Supreme Court to rule on a case, but it is another thing entirely for elected representatives of the people to take a vote on the floor of the United States Congress and say loudly and clearly, ‘Love is love,’” Biden said.

The bill, which passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support, is one of the last major pieces of legislation that Democrats will pass before handing control of the House over to Republicans next Congress.

Pelosi noted that the law served as a bookend to her own time as House speaker. She had prioritized LGBTQ issues such as funding to fight HIV and AIDS from her first term as Congress. Her first term as speaker concluded with her shepherding a bill into law that ended the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing openly LGBTQ people to serve in the military.

“With courage, fortitude and unity, we have achieved a landmark victory in equality,” Pelosi said. “For millions of Americans, the impacts of this law are necessary and fundamental.”

Pelosi, who did not run for another term as Democratic leader, said she and others still want to push further on legislation, including bills that would establish federal anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people.

Biden emphasized Pelosi’s central role in pushing for the legislation.