Bill to protect same-sex marriage is set for a vote in the US Senate

Same-sex and interracial marriage protection legislation is scheduled for a Senate vote on Tuesday, bringing Congress one step closer to approving the historic bill and guaranteeing that such partnerships are recognized in federal law.
While their party still controls both chambers of Congress, Senate Democrats are pushing rapidly to enact a law mandating that these unions be recognized legally everywhere. The bill would still need to go before the House for a vote before being delivered to President Joe Biden.

Since the Supreme Court's ruling in June overturning the federal right to an abortion and comments made at the time by Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting same-sex marriage would also be threatened, the bill has risen steadily in support. This summer, after 47 Republicans surprisingly voted in favor of a House bill, sparking new hope among advocates, bipartisan Senate negotiations got under way.

Before a test vote on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said on the Senate floor, "The rights of all married couples will never truly be safe without the proper protections under federal law."

The bill's passage would mark a significant victory for Democrats as they prepare to leave office after two years in power in Washington, as well as a big victory for those who have fought for decades to pass federal legislation allowing same-sex unions.

The Senate's decision to hold the discussion, according to Schumer, is noteworthy. Imagining both sides discussing defending the rights of same-sex married couples ten years ago would have been difficult for all of us, he said.