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The U.S. Supreme Court has made same-sex marriage legal throughout
America, ruling Friday that the constitution gives gay and lesbian
couples the same rights as straight couples.
The historic decision invalidates the same-sex marriage bans of 13
states, from Texas on the Mexican border to Michigan and North Dakota on
the Canadian border.
The vote was 5-4, reflecting the deep divide on the issue in American
society. The court’s four liberals were joined by the conservative
Anthony Kennedy, who wrote his third landmark opinion expanding gay
rights.
In powerful, unequivocal language, Kennedy declared same-sex
relationships no less worthy of the sacred institution of marriage than
relationships between men and women.
The decision is a final triumph for a marriage equality movement that
has changed minds at an astonishing rate. When New York made same-sex
marriage legal four years ago Thursday, it was only the sixth state to
do so; 39 states then had explicit bans.
The federal government did not recognize same-sex couples’ legal
marriages until 2013. President Barack Obama publicly opposed same-sex
marriage until 2012. Gays and lesbians could not serve openly in the
military until 2011. Gay sex was illegal in parts of the country until
2003.
“Today is a big step in our march toward equality,” Obama wrote on
Twitter. “Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like
anyone else. #LoveWins.”
The case the court ruled on, Obergefell v. Hodges, involved four separate cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Same-sex marriage was also illegal in nine other states: Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia.
Mario Clopton, a 28-year-old teacher in Cleveland, learned the news in a
pre-operation room at the Cleveland Clinic, where his fiancée, Ryan
Zymler, will donate a kidney to his mother on Monday. They celebrated
with a high-five.
“For me, it just feels like my existence is validated,” Clopton said in
an interview. “And finally the government has picked up the ball of
progress to where it should be.”
They got engaged two weeks ago. Zymler’s parents had talked about a destination wedding.
“We kind of looked at them and said, ‘He’s a social worker, I’m a
teacher, we’re not doing a destination wedding.’ But we fought so hard
to get marriage equality right here in Ohio, I don’t think we would want
to have a wedding anywhere else,” Clopton said.
The ruling ends an acrimonious chapter in the so-called culture wars.
Some religious leaders have vowed to protest the court decision, but
they no longer have any chance of success. Social conservatives will now
push for the right to avoid providing services for gay weddings. The
gay rights movement will now shift its focus to state laws that
presently allow discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment
and housing.
Source: The Star
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