Opponents of marriage equality won’t go quietly when it comes to their views on same-sex marriage. On April 28th, 2015, demonstrators marched outside the Supreme Court holding signs printed with messages such as, “I am a Christian, and I am Gay” in effort to refute the common argument made by same-sex marriage opposers that simply being homosexual violates the teachings of the Bible. Gay people often hold rallies and protests to show that they have a voice and will fight for their rights, although they know it’s probably impossible to change the minds of the conservative and old-fashioned people who oppose them so strongly. Case after case regarding same-sex marriage have been brought to courts around the United States, and people everywhere, regardless of their opinion, agree that the issue of marriage equality is one that the court needs to resolve because of the increasing tension it brings to so many communities.
Today, 36 states permit same-sex marriage, along with the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, the rest of the states ban it, and couples from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan, all states which do not allow gay marriage, have come to the Supreme Court to defend what they say is their 14th Amendment right to marry who they choose under the equal protection clause. Furthermore, in the Loving v. Virginia case in 1967, the Supreme Court overturned state bans on interracial marriage. That day, the court found that the “freedom to marry” was a fundamental civil right. The gay couples will fight for marriage equality in their states, a petition that the justices dismissed in 1972.
There are countless reasons why the court could go either way on this sensitive topic. Cases regarding gay rights have seemed to flood the media recently, whether they be about marriage, equality, or discrimination. This case may or may not change things for gay Americans in states such as Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Nebraska, but the attention that cases such as this one have received will undoubtedly make a dent in history.
Today, 36 states permit same-sex marriage, along with the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, the rest of the states ban it, and couples from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan, all states which do not allow gay marriage, have come to the Supreme Court to defend what they say is their 14th Amendment right to marry who they choose under the equal protection clause. Furthermore, in the Loving v. Virginia case in 1967, the Supreme Court overturned state bans on interracial marriage. That day, the court found that the “freedom to marry” was a fundamental civil right. The gay couples will fight for marriage equality in their states, a petition that the justices dismissed in 1972.
There are countless reasons why the court could go either way on this sensitive topic. Cases regarding gay rights have seemed to flood the media recently, whether they be about marriage, equality, or discrimination. This case may or may not change things for gay Americans in states such as Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Nebraska, but the attention that cases such as this one have received will undoubtedly make a dent in history.