WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed landmark bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex marriages. It’s an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide. The bill approved Tuesday would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law. The vote was personal for many senators, too. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat who is the first openly gay senator and was the lead sponsor of the bill, tearfully hugged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others as the final vote was called. Baldwin, who has been working on gay rights issues for almost four decades, tweeted thanks to the same-sex and interracial couples who she said made the moment possible. “By living as your true selves, you changed the hearts and minds of people around you,” she wrote. Schumer said the legislation is “a long time coming” and part of America’s “difficult but inexorable march towards greater equality.” Senate Democrats are moving quickly to send the bill to the House and President Joe Biden’s desk.
