Byline: Lanie Cauthen, Editor-in-Chief
Campus News
10 years ago, the LGBTQIA+ community celebrated a major milestone towards equality – the legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States.
On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Obergefell v. Hodges. This case established marriage equality as a Constitutional right. S.C. and N.C. had previously recognized same-sex marriage in 2014.
“Ten years ago, I was just starting to accept myself as gay, and the legalization of gay marriage helped me to feel less alone and strange,” Winthrop alum Jordan Crosby said. Suddenly, the option was on the table! All those times I forced myself to imagine a wedding with some faceless man, all those times I had to describe my picture perfect wedding dress; suddenly that didn’t have to be my future anymore.”
Leading up to the landmark case, several couples fought for the right for their marriages to be recognized throughout the country. The most notable case was that of James Obergefell and his late husband John Arthur. After Arthur was diagnosed with ALS, the couple were married in Maryland. However, their marriage would not be recognized in their home state of Ohio. Arthur would pass away in 2013. Obergefell worked towards legalizing same-sex marriage in the country – taking it to the Supreme Court.
Today, 823,000 same-sex couples are now legally married in the country – according to data from the Williams Institute. More than double the number in June 2015. A poll from Gallup shows that 68% of the Americans support same-sex marriage.
“I knew I wanted to marry Alex after a couple months of dating them,” Crosby said. “Loving them feels as easy as breathing. It’s natural. It’s divine. I can’t imagine my life without them, and I can’t imagine a life where I couldn’t be married to them.The happiest day of my life was when Alex said ‘yes,’ but I’m hoping that will soon be surpassed by the day we say ‘I do.’”
However, new actions may threaten these marriage rights. Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis formally petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the case – using the First Amendment’s freedom of religion for reasoning to deny same-sex marriage licenses during her time as a county clerk. The Supreme Court is expected to review the petition in fall and decide whether or not the case will be accepted.
“It’s not a guarantee that gay marriage will get stolen from us, but it does feel like a logical inevitability if we keep going the way we are,” Crosby said. “It’s important to fight for love, and to fight for the ones you love. Reach out to your queer friends. Check up on them, tell them they’re loved. Take care of yourself, eat some vegetables and get some sleep. If you can demonstrate, do so. If you can speak with a representative, please do so. Rhetoric is writing the legislation, but silence will be our death knell.”