Washington DC - On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law after hosting a ceremony to celebrate the major milestone in American history.

The ceremony itself was held at the White House South Lawn, where the Biden administration hosted various LGBTQ+ allies, activists, members of Congress, and prominent Latter-day Saint leaders to celebrate before the president signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law as Born This Way by Lady Gaga played in the background.

The bipartisan bill, which will repeal the the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, passed the House in a 258-169-1 vote on December 8 after passing the Senate in a 61-36 vote on November 29.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi was one of the several members of Congress who attended the event, where she addressed the crowd and thanked them for their "patriotism" and "impatience" before celebrating the federal protections that will allow same-sex and interracial couples to "live happily and safely ever after with the person they love."

"People say to me, 'Oh this is easy for you, you're from San Francisco, and people are so tolerant there,'" Pelosi told the crowd. "And I say, 'Tolerance has nothing to do with it. that is a condescending.'"

"This is about respect" and "pride," Pelosi said. "And it's about time that we do so at the federal level."

"congratulations to all the weddings that will take place," she concluded.

Singer Sam Smith also attended the ceremony, and he sang a stripped down and extremely powerful version of his 2015 hit, Stay With Me.

Longtime LGBTQ+ advocate Cyndi Lauper took the stage following Smith for an acoustic performance of True Colors after declaring, "this time, love wins."

Vice President Kamala Harris called the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act "a victory" before stating that this piece of legislation is "part of a larger fight."

"The Dobbs decision reminds us that fundamental rights are interconnected, including the right to marry who you love, the right to access contraception, and the right to make decisions about your own body," Harris stated.

"Let us continue to stand together, because that is the beauty of the coalition assembled here today to fight for equality."

President Biden then took the stage to declare that "today, America takes a step towards equality."

"Today I sign the respect for marriage act into law," Biden said. "Marriage is a simple proposition: who do you love, and will you be loyal to that person?"

"Everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves without the government interfering," the president stated. "Now, the law requires that interracial marriage and same-sex marriage must be recognized as legal in every state in the nation."

President Biden proceeded to shout out those in Congress who helped push the fight for marriage equality forward, adding that "the antidote to hate is love."

"That's why this law matters to every single American, no matter who you are or who you love," the president said.

"Thank you to everyone on [this] hard fought victory," Biden stated. "it's been a long road."