Sen. Baldwin says the bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages ‘unites Americans’

Speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who is the first openly gay politician elected to the Senate, said the Respect for Marriage Act “unites Americans” and removes the worry that same-sex and interracial couples could have their rights taken away. Baldwin delivered the remarks before the Senate held a procedural vote to advance the bill in the chamber.

Video Transcript

TAMMY BALDWIN: This legislation unites Americans. With the Respect for Marriage Act, we can ease the fear that millions of same sex and interracial couples have that their freedoms and their rights could be stripped away. By passing this bill, we are guaranteeing same sex and interracial couples, regardless of where they live, that their marriage is legal and that they will continue to enjoy the rights and responsibilities that all other marriages are afforded.

And this will give millions of loving couples the certainty, the dignity, and the respect that they need and that they deserve. For my dear friends Margaret and Denise and their daughter Maria, passing this legislation will remove the weight of the world from their backs. While they worry just like the rest of us about the cost of living, and staying healthy, and saving for retirement, passing this bill will take away a worry that someday their marriage might be on the chopping block at no fault of their own.