The measures include efforts to protect LGBTQ community organizations from threats and releasing funds for new programs that will support the physical and mental health of LGBTQ youth.
Biden Signs Respect for Marriage Act, Providing Federal Protections for Same-Sex and Interracial Marriages
The bill’s signing comes as Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have expressed growing fear over the possibility that the landmark 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges—which legalized gay marriage nationwide—could be overturned following the Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade earlier this year.
Senate Passes Bill to Protect Same-Sex and Interracial Marriage
The Respect for Marriage Act does not require states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but it does require states that ban same-sex marriages to recognize these marriages as long as the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed.
Mass Shooting at Gay Nightclub in Colorado Follows Surge of Right-Wing Rhetoric and Threats Targeting LGBTQ Community
As Republican lawmakers and right-wing media figures have singled out the LGBTQ community with hateful rhetoric, children’s hospitals have faced bomb threats, armed extremist groups have targeted drag-related events, and LGBTQ individuals have been assaulted and now murdered in a mass shooting that left five dead.
Here’s Where the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Relief Plan Stands
In the past week, two separate courts controlled by conservative judges have ruled against the Biden administration’s plan to cancel tens of thousands of dollars in federal student loan debt for millions of borrowers, putting that relief in jeopardy.