Biden invites self-described 'non binary drag artist' to White House for signing of pro-gay marriage measure

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have invited Marti Gould Cummings, a self-described "non binary drag artist," to the White House for the signing of the so-called Respect for Marriage Act.

"To be a non binary drag artist invited to the White House is something I never imagined would happen. Thank you President & Dr. Biden for inviting me to this historic bill signing. Grateful doesn't begin to express the emotions I feel," Cummings wrote when tweeting about the invitation, which indicates that signing event will take place on Tuesday.

A number of Republican lawmakers in the Senate and House chambers joined with Democrats in voting to pass the pro-gay marriage measure. The legislation will prohibit states from refusing to recognize an individual's marriage on the basis of sex and other factors.

The measure says that people "acting under color of state law" may not refuse "full faith and credit to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State pertaining to a marriage between 2 individuals, on the basis of the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals."

While the Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodgesruling requires states to allow and recognize gay marriages, earlier this year, when the high court issued a ruling that overturned the 1973 Roe v.Wade abortion ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas indicated in a concurring opinion that the gay marriage ruling should also eventually be overturned.

Thomas wrote that "in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell." He noted, "After overruling these demonstrably erroneous decisions, the question would remain whether other constitutional provisions guarantee the myriad rights that our substantive due process cases have generated."

"After the uncertainty caused by the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families," Biden said in a statement after the House's passage of the Respect for Marriage Act last week. "They have also provided hope and dignity to millions of young people across this country who can grow up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they build."