Biden signs historic same-sex marriage bill at White House - ABC News

President Joe Biden connected Tuesday signed authorities protecting same-sex and interracial marriage.

Thousands of radical gathered connected the White House South Lawn to commemorate the Respect for Marriage Act becoming law.

"Today is simply a bully day," Biden said arsenic helium took the podium aft Vice President Kamala Harris. "A time America takes a captious measurement toward equality, for liberty and justness -- not conscionable for some, but for everyone. Toward creating a federation wherever decency, dignity and emotion are recognized, honored and protected."

"Look, we're present contiguous to observe their courageousness and everyone who made the time possible," the president continued. "Courage that led to advancement we've seen implicit the decades, advancement that gives america anticipation that each procreation volition proceed connected our travel toward a much cleanable union."

President Joe Biden reacts aft signing the Respect for Marriage Act, Dec. 13, 2022, connected the South Lawn of the White House.

Patrick Semansky/AP

The ceremonial included performances from Grammy winners Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper. Smith, who announced successful 2019 they were nonbinary and usage they/them pronouns, performed their deed opus "Stay With Me" followed by Lauper singing "True Colors."

Appearing successful the White House briefing country up of her performance, Lauper, a longtime LGBTQ advocate, told reporters, "We tin remainder casual contiguous due to the fact that our families are validated."

"And due to the fact that present we're allowed to emotion who we love, which sounds unusual to say. But Americans tin present emotion who we emotion and bless Joe Biden and each the radical that worked connected this for allowing radical not to interest and their children not to interest astir their future," Lauper said.

She founded the True Colors Fund, a nonprofit that educates radical connected LGBTQ issues and helps to extremity homelessness for LGBTQ youth.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre observes arsenic Cyndi Lauper, who volition beryllium performing astatine the signing ceremonial for the "Respect for Marriage Act," addresses reporters during the regular property briefing astatine the White House successful Washington, Dec. 13, 2022.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

A White House authoritative said that notable guests attending the signing ceremonial included Club Q laminitis Matthew Haynes and 2 survivors of the shooting that happened conscionable past month astatine the Colorado Springs, Colorado, LGBTQ nightclub. Other attendees included a subsister of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 radical successful Orlando, Florida, and plaintiffs and counselors from the Obergefell and Loving Supreme Court cases.

"We indispensable halt the hatred and unit similar we conscionable saw successful Colorado Springs for a spot of acceptance and solemnisation was targeted for unit and terror," Biden said Tuesday. "We request to situation the hundreds of callous, cynical laws introduced successful the states targeting transgender children, terrifying families and criminalizing doctors who springiness children the attraction they need. We person to support these children truthful they cognize they're loved and we volition basal up for them."

"Folks, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia are each connected," Biden continued. "But the antidote to hatred is emotion ... This instrumentality matters to each azygous American nary substance who you are oregon who you love."

The Respect for Marriage Act passed with bipartisan enactment successful some chambers of Congress aft months of negotiation, peculiarly implicit provisions related to religion. The House voted past week 258-169 to nonstop the measure to Biden's table aft the Senate passed it 61-36. A number of Republicans joined Democrats successful some votes.

It became a precedence for Democrats aft the Supreme Court's June determination successful Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, successful which 5 blimpish justices overruled Roe v. Wade and the nationalist warrant to termination access.

Justice Clarence Thomas, successful a concurring opinion, said helium believed the tribunal should reconsider different precedents based connected akin ineligible doctrine, including 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges -- which recovered that the 14th Amendment requires each states to licence same-sex marriages.

The Respect for Marriage Act doesn't see Obergefell's nationalist request but volition mandate that idiosyncratic states admit same-sex and interracial marriages that were lawfully performed successful different state.

Some Republicans who voted for the authorities successful Congress noted further connection astir protecting spiritual groups who inactive entity to same-sex marriage.

Critics similar Utah Sen. Mike Lee said it didn't spell acold enough, however.

President Joe Biden and archetypal woman Jill Biden get for the signing ceremonial for the "Respect for Marriage Act," a landmark measure protecting same-sex marriage, connected the South Lawn astatine the White House, Dec. 13, 2022.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Biden has agelong been outspoken connected the contented of same-sex matrimony and successful 2012, famously preempted then-President Barack Obama successful declaring his nationalist support.

"I americium perfectly comfy with the information that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying 1 different are entitled to the aforesaid nonstop rights, each the civilian rights, each the civilian liberties," Biden said during an interrogation astatine the clip connected NBC's "Meet the Press."

"Who bash you love? Who bash you emotion and volition you beryllium loyal to the idiosyncratic you love?" Biden said then. "And that's what radical are uncovering out, what each marriages astatine their basal are about."

After Lauper finished her show astatine the measure signing, audio of Biden's 2012 "Meet the Press" interrogation was played. A White House authoritative said they planned to administer commemorative items astatine Tuesday's ceremonial that invoke Biden's remarks from 10 years agone announcing his enactment for cheery marriage.

As Biden finished signing the instrumentality to cheers from the crowd, Lady Gaga's pro-LGBTQ opus "Born This Way" began to play.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer get earlier President Joe Biden speaks during a measure signing ceremonial for the Respect for Marriage Act, Dec. 13, 2022, connected the South Lawn of the White House.

Andrew Harnik/AP

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer kicked disconnected Tuesday's ceremony, with Schumer touting the matrimony authorities arsenic an "important measurement forward" successful the march toward equality.

Pelosi, who is stepping down from Democratic leadership, has said she's "happy" this measure is 1 of the past she volition motion arsenic talker and became affectional erstwhile the measurement passed successful the chamber.

Pelosi connected Tuesday noted the full-circle quality of the legislation, aft repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell erstwhile she was ending her speakership the archetypal clip successful 2010. Biden gave Pelosi and different lawmakers who worked to get the measure done Congress a shout-out successful his remarks.

"This is astir respect. This is astir taking pride," Pelosi said, "and it's astir clip that we bash truthful astatine the national level."

ABC News' Molly Nagle contributed to this report.