Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper Perform At Signing Ceremony for Respect For Marriage Act

Smith sang “Stay With Me,” with Lauper performing “True Colors.”

By Paste Staff  |  December 14, 2022 | 11:41am
Images via Alasdair McLellan and MSNBC Music News Sam Smith
Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper Perform At Signing Ceremony for Respect For Marriage Act

President Joe Biden signed the critical “Respect For Marriage” Act into law on Tuesday, at a ceremony that included performances by Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith. While the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges will still be critical to fully protect same-sex marriage, the law does federally recognize same-sex marriage, and requires states to recognize such marriages performed in other states. What it doesn’t do is require every state to allow queer marriage — that’s where the Supreme Court case comes in. Nevertheless, it is still a huge step forward, and a relief for many queer people and families.

In celebration, Smith sang “Stay With Me,” with Lauper performing “True Colors.” Lauper thanked Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris and the rest of their team for bringing this law into reality, commenting, “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. Now, we’re 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 that worked on this for allowing people not to worry and their children not to worry about their future.” She added with a lightening laugh, “Thank you for being supportive, and hey, I will sing out to ya!”

On the lawn of the White House, Smith took to the microphone in front of a crowd of people, delivering a heartfelt performance. Lauper opened up her performance commenting, “Well this time, love wins.”

You can watch their performances below.

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cyndi lauper

sam smith