Songwriter and performer Cyndi Lauper participated in the White House press briefing on Tuesday (December 13) to praise President Biden and his signing of the new Respect For Marriage Act.
Videos by American Songwriter
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the United States. But ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, many feared other rights under the “right to privacy” umbrella would come under fire. The President signed the act on Tuesday.
“Today, I sign the Respect for Marriage Act into law,” Mr. Biden said Tuesday. “Deciding whether to marry, who to marry, is one of the most profound decisions a person can make. And as I’ve said before and some of you might remember, on a certain TV show 10 years ago, I got in trouble. Marriage, I mean this with all of my heart, marriage is a simple proposition: Who do you love, and will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that.”
Before the press briefing, Lauper and Sam Smith appeared at the White House South Lawn stage ahead of President Biden. Lauper sang “True Colors” and Smith performed “Stay With Me.”
“We can rest easy tonight because our families are validated and because we’re allowed to love who we love,” said Lauper, whose sister is gay.
CBS News shared the video clips, which you can see in their entirety below.
In full, Lauper said, “I just want to tell you, I came here because—I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Vice President Harris, and all the advocates on his team. For once our families, mine and a lot of my friends, and people you know, sometimes your neighbors.
“We can rest easy tonight because our families are validated and because we’re allowed to love who we love. Which sounds odd to say but Americans can now love who we love. And bless Joe Biden and all the people that worked on this, for allowing people not to worry. And their children not to worry about their future. Thank you. And thank you for being supportive. And, hey, I will sing out to you. Thank you very much.”
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
