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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Lifestyle

US Senate passes bipartisan bill protecting same-sex marriage

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called on lawmakers to pass the Respect for Marriage Act with ‘all due speed’, as Republicans prepare to take control of the US House of Representatives [J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo]

The United States Senate has voted 61 to 36 to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would enshrine protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law.

Twelve Republicans joined the 49 Democrats present in supporting the landmark piece of legislation, which prohibits states from denying “out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin”.

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