The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to protect same-sex and interracial marriage. This is the final step before the measure goes to President Biden for his signature and becomes law. The House vote was 258 to 169 with 39 Republicans joining Democrats. A triumphant applause could be heard from the chamber following the taps from the gavel.
The Respect for Marriage Act was passed by the US Senate with a vote of 61 to 36 just last week. The bill was supported by the entire Senate Democratic caucus and 12 Republicans.
A vote on federal legislation protecting same-sex marriage was propelled by the momentum gained after the Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade.
Italian American House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Wednesday that she is “overjoyed” that protecting same-sex marriage in the United States is one of the final bills she helped to pass while holding the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives.
While a huge victory in the US, the socially conservative agenda of Italy’s newly elected Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has caused concern and fear for gay parents. Italy continues to be an outlier in Western Europe in terms of gay rights since gay marriage is still not recognized by law. In 2016, Parliament passed a law that recognized civil unions of same-sex couples although there was opposition by the influential Roman Catholic Church. Gay parents in Italy remain cut off from the main channels for adoption, requiring a marriage rather than a civil union.
Source: CNN