City
Epaper

Sam Smith performs at White House as president Joe Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act

By IANS | Updated: December 14, 2022 11:15 IST

Los Angeles, Dec 14 Hollywood star Sam Smith performed at the White House as Americans in the LGBTQ+ ...

Open in App

Los Angeles, Dec 14 Hollywood star Sam Smith performed at the White House as Americans in the LGBTQ+ community celebrated a landmark agreement on Tuesday.

December 13 marks a significant day in American history after President Joe Biden passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which guarantees same-sex and interracial married couples to have the same rights as legally married spouses in all 50 US states, reports mirror.co.uk.

The signing of the federal law means that there will be protection in the event the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell v Hodges and Loving v Virginia, which legalised same-sex and interracial marriages respectively.

Before the signing, the South Lawn of the US presidential residence was the venue for a heartfelt ceremony where four-time Grammy Award winning artist Sam gave a rendition of 'Stay With Me'.

They stepped out in front of the bipartisan crowd wearing an open white shirt coupled with a smart slightly oversized black coat and accessorised with a tiny pink purse as they belted out a note-perfect display alongside a keyboard player and three backing vocalists.

They were followed by performances from Nashville's Joy Oladokun, who identifies as queer woman of colour, and LGBTQ+ advocate Cyndi Lauper.

Lauper took to the stage to perform 1986 hit 'True Colours', before telling the crowd: "This time, love wins."

She later appeared in the White House briefing room and delivered a short speech, she said: "I came here because I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Vice President Harris and all the advocates in his team.

"For once, our families, mine and a lot of my friends, people you know, sometimes your neighbours, we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated.

"Because now we are allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love. Bless Joe Biden and all the people who worked on this for allowing people and their children not to worry about their future."

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Tags: Los AngelesHollywoodJoe BidenSupreme CourtWhite HouseSam SmithL.a.Joe bidensLos angeles dream centerBiden administration
Open in App

Related Stories

Mumbai2006 Mumbai Train Blasts Case: Supreme Court Stays Bombay High Court Order Acquitting 12 Accused

EntertainmentHollywood Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies at 54: Drowns While Swimming Off Costa Rica Coast

InternationalLos Angeles: Suspect Car Driver Crashes Into Wall During High Speed Pursuit in Encino; Dramatic Video Goes Viral

InternationalExplosion at LA Sheriff's Training Center Leaves 3 Dead; Cause Under Investigation

NationalSupreme Court Asks MEA to Trace Russian Woman and Return Child's Custody To Father

Entertainment Realted Stories

Entertainment"Never made official announcement about participating...": Kartik Aaryan team clarifies he is not attending any event linked to Pakistan owned entity

EntertainmentGauri Khan on SRK, Rani Mukerji & Karan Johar winning National Award: 'Ready to brag about them'

EntertainmentSonam Bajwa calls Godday Godday Cha winning National Award a 'truly humbling experience'

EntertainmentCoolie trailer: Rajinikanth takes on gold smuggling in high octane thriller

EntertainmentAparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, Varun Sharma to headline a friendship drama