President Joe Biden (inset) said the Respect for Marriage Act is a step ‘toward creating a nation where decency, dignity and love are recognized, honored and protected’ (Pictures: AP/Getty Images)

Federal protections and recognition for same-sex marriages has been signed into law in the US.

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday afternoon, a victory for same-sex rights couples and supporters after a decades-long fight.

‘Today is a good day. A day America takes a vital step toward equality, toward liberty, justice – not just for some, but for everyone,’ said Biden during the signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

‘Toward creating a nation where decency, dignity and love are recognized, honored and protected.’

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday (Picture: AP)

President Joe Biden said it was ‘a day America takes a vital step toward equality, toward liberty, justice’. (Picture: AP)

The legislation undoes the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman a quarter of a century ago in 1996. The new law does not force states to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. However, it prohibits states from deeming properly performed out-of-state marriages invalid based on sex, race or ethnicity.

Biden signed the bill after it passed the House last week and the Senate last month with bipartisan support. Thirty-nine Republican House members and 12 GOP senators joined all Democrats and independents in both chambers in voting in favor of the legislation.

‘My fellow Americans, the road to this moment has been long, but those who believe in equality and justice, you never gave up,’ Biden said.

‘We got it done. We’re going to continue the work ahead. I promise you.’

Biden recalled that in 2012, when he was vice president, he fully supported same-sex marriage and that then-President Barack Obama had called his viewpoint ‘evolving’.

The White House on Tuesday played audio of Biden’s interview from a decade ago.

‘The good news is that, as more and more Americans come to understand, what this is all about is a simple proposition: Who do you love?’ Biden said at the time.

‘And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that’s what people are finding out. It’s what all marriages at their root are about, whether they’re marriages of lesbians or gay men or heterosexuals.’

The Respect for Marriage Act erases the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman (Picture: AP)

President Joe Biden held an elaborate signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act (Picture: AP)

Same-sex marriage protections have been secured nearly three decades after President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law. The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.

‘This law – and the love it defends – strike a blow against hate in all its forms. And that’s why this law matters to every single American, no matter who you are or who you love,’ Biden said.

‘This shouldn’t be about conservative or liberal, red or blue. No, this is about realizing the promise of the Declaration of Independence, a promise rooted in sacred and secular beliefs, a promise that we’re all created equal.’

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The Respect for Marriage Act prohibits states from deeming out-of-state marriages invalid based on sex, race or ethnicity.