Green Bay Reporter

 

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers leaves little doubt about what he feels President Joe Biden's move to sign off on the Respect for Marriage Act stands to mean for all of society.

“Our kids deserve to grow up in a world where they're free to be who they are and marry who they love,” Evers posted this week on Twitter about the legislation supporters point to as a needed step toward equality for same-sex and interracial couples.

With the stroke of a pen, Biden’s actions spell the end for the more than two-decade-old Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

As a senator, Biden voted in favor of the legislation before announcing his support for same-sex unions more than ten years ago; a CNN report said this week.

With the Respect for Marriage Act now a federal law, couplings between same-sex and mixed-race couples are now legalized. States, though still not required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, will now be required to recognize such unions performed in other states.

In marking the occasion of the bill officially becoming law, earlier this month Biden hosted a signing ceremony outside the White House that was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

As a part of the celebration, FOX News reported that the White House was lit up in the colors of the rainbow, the symbol that members of the LGBTQA+ community use to represent equality.