SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 18 years after Gavin Newsom defied federal law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as San Francisco mayor, President Biden is on the cusp of signing legislation that ensures gay marriages are recognized by the federal government and in every state in the nation.
When he signs the historic bill this week, another Californian will probably be standing beside him: Vice President Kamala Harris, who played a key role in the long fight for marriage equality as state attorney general.
The moment will mark a powerful, if imperfect, validation of early political risk-taking by Newsom and Harris — two of California’s most prominent Democrats, who were at the vanguard of what became an overwhelming shift in how Americans think about civil rights, family and love.
