Senate votes to protect same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON/TOKYO: The Senate passed legislation to enshrine federal protection for same-sex marriages with a bipartisan vote that dramatically demonstrates the massive cultural shift in the US on the issue.
The 61-36 vote on Tuesday was a victory for Democrats who’ve raised concerns that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court could overturn a 2015 ruling that established the right to same-sex marriage.
“It’s a scary but necessary acknowledgment that despite all the progress we made, the constitutional right to same-sex marriage is not even a decade old and exists only by the virtue of a very narrow 5-4 Supreme Court decision,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “And we all know the court has changed since that decision. As we have already seen this year what the court has decided in the past can be easily taken away in the future.”
The bill, named the Respect for Marriage Act, passed with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats present in support.
The bill heads back to the House, where it’s expected to pass, because the Senate amended the legislation to provide religious liberty protections to meet demands from Republicans. The House passed an earlier version on a 267-157 bipartisan vote.
President Joe Biden, in a statement, praised the Senate vote on the measure. Once the House approves it, he said, “I will promptly sign it into law.”
If the Supreme Court overturns its decision in Obergefell v Hodges, the legislation would give federal recognition to samesex marriages, but it wouldn’t require states to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
However, states would be obligated to recognise marriage licenses issued in another state where those unions are legal regardless of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin. It also affirms federal protections and benefits to interracial couples.
Activists hail Tokyo court ruling on same-sex union
Japan’s lack of law to protect the rights of same-sex couples to marry and become families violates the constitution, the Tokyo district court ruled on Wednesday in a closely watched case in a country still largely bound by traditional gender roles and family values.
The court, however, said the government’s lack of legislative action is not illegal and threw out plaintiffs’ compensation demands of 1 million yen ($7,215) each. Still, the ruling was a partial victory for LGBTQ couples.
There is no rationality to justify the absence of legal protection for same-sex couples and “it is in a state of violation” of the Article 24 of the Japanese Constitution, the court said.
Same-sex couples should enjoy the same legal protection as heterosexual couples through marriage, it said.
The plaintiffs and their lawyers welcomed the ruling as “ground breaking” and urged the government to promptly take steps to enact a law to mitigate the problem.