Faced with fears that the Supreme Court of the United States will reverse the legalization of same-sex marriages, the United States Senate voted on Tuesday, November 29, a law protecting this right throughout the country.

The text was approved by 61 votes to 36. The House of Representatives had already validated a very similar text in July, supported by all Democrats and 47 Republicans.

It must now decide once again on this amended law in order to harmonize the two texts, which should only be a formality.

Once passed by the lower house of Congress, the law will land on the desk of Joe Biden, who has pledged to sign it "quickly".

“The United States is about to reaffirm a fundamental truth: love is love and Americans should be able to marry the person they love,” responded the American president in a press release.

“After months of hard work, after many cross-partisan negotiations, after many doubts, we are taking a decisive step towards greater justice for Americans in the LGBTQ community”, for his part applauded the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer.

A safety net

Same-sex unions have been guaranteed by the U.S. Supreme Court since 2015. But after the high court's historic flip-flop on abortion, many progressives fear that right may also be unraveled.

The new bill, which would require the federal government to recognize a marriage if it is legal in the state where it took place, should serve as a safety net if the Supreme Court reverses its decision.

In concrete terms, the law repeals previous legislation defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman and prohibits civil registrars – regardless of the state in which they work – from discriminating against couples “on the basis of their gender. , race, ethnicity or origin".

This text also applies to interracial couples.

"Today's vote has extremely personal implications for many of us in this Chamber," said Chuck Schumer, wearing the tie he wore to his daughter and girlfriend's wedding.

The powerful civil rights group ACLU hailed a "historic breakthrough" for the rights of LGBT+ families, while denouncing the rise in laws going against the rights of transgender people in several states across the country.

"Members of Congress must also fight as if the lives of transgender people depend on their efforts, because it does."

With AFP and Reuters

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