Ten years ago today, June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage for same-sex couples nationwide in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
I distinctly remember that one of my friends and his partner rushed over to the Fulton County Government Center in Downtown Atlanta for an impromptu mass wedding ceremony that same afternoon. June 26, 2015 was a joyous day, but even as the LGBTQ+ community celebrated this win, the religious right and its adherents were already plotting its repeal.
With marriage equality a bigger mountain to move, conservatives turned their fearmongering and hatred on the transgender community, making sports, gender-affirming care, and drag queen story hours a distracting wedge issue in the 2024 elections.
In 2022, Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying protections for same-sex and interracial married couples into law and repealing 1996’s Defense of Marriage Act. And while subverting the act will make it more difficult to end marriage equality, we are through the looking-glass when it comes to norms, rights and established law.
After overturning Roe v. Wade, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito expressed their interest in revisiting Obergefell v. Hodges. The right to an abortion was enshrined for 50 years and disappeared in a day. There is an existential threat to marriage equality looming before us, especially with an emboldened conservative base.
A report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law said that more than 500,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot since 2015. In national polling, public support remains strong for marriage equality, hovering between 68 and 71 percent.
But despite public sentiment, lawmakers in at least six states have introduced legislation to repeal marriage equality, calling Obergefell v. Hodges an overreach by SCOTUS. Even Kim Davis – the Kentucky county clerk who lost her job over refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples – is still trying to get her case before the high court.
Last month, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to endorse “laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman.” The resolution was approved by the 10,000-church strong body, with plans to press lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at ending marriage equality.
Another warning signal is SCOTUS’s June ruling on banning gender-affirming care for trans youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti. If we are at a place where parents are no longer allowed to make medical decisions for their own children, there is no reason why marriage equality won’t be put to the test at some point.
On June 14, millions gathered across the country for the “No Kings” rallies against the actions of the Trump administration. While the despicable ICE arrests and deportations without due process were the main thrust of the rallies, LGBTQ+ rights were also part of the mix.
We’ve got to deal with the current president for the next three-and-a-half years, but next year’s midterm elections should be a sound rebuke of the fearmongering, bigotry, and marginalization that LGBTQ+ people have faced in the last six months.
Let’s make it so.
