With his signature, US President Joe Biden enacted a law protecting gay marriage. "Today is a good day," Biden said at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House before a crowd of invited guests. "Today America is taking a most important step toward equality, liberty and justice, not just for some but for all."

The US would become a nation in which "decency, dignity and love are recognized, honored and protected," the US Democrat said before signing the law called "Respect for Marriage Act". - Roughly: law for the respect of marriage - set. The ceremony was attended by numerous politicians as well as representatives of the LGBTQ community. Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith provided the music.

The US Congress finally passed the same-sex marriage law last week. It requires all states to recognize marriages that have been entered into and are valid in another state. However, this does not mean that all states will have to accept same-sex marriages in the future. A law already classified as unconstitutional, which defines marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, will also be deleted.

In 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry. However, after the Supreme Court, which had increasingly moved to the right in recent years, abolished the nationwide basic right to abortions that had been in force for almost 50 years in June, fears grew that same-sex marriage could also be in danger.

A large majority of the US population—more than 70 percent, according to a summer poll—support same-sex marriage. The religious right, however, is firmly opposed to gay marriage.