Love should never be up for debate.
Yet here we are again, watching the right try to tear away the joy, safety, and dignity of same-sex marriage. The
Supreme Court has been asked to hear a case that could overturn
Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling that made marriage equality the law of the land. If that ruling falls,
many states could instantly make same-sex marriage illegal again.We cannot go backwards. Marriage equality is not just a legal right -- it's about happiness, family, and the freedom to share your life with the person you love. It's about two people saying "yes" to each other and building a home together, no matter their identity.
The idea that anyone would want to outlaw that is cruel, shameful, and wrong. Sign the petition to tell individual states to protect same-sex marriage in case the Supreme Court makes the wrong decision and overturns Obergefell v. Hodges!Kim Davis made headlines in 2015 during the early days of
Obergefell v. Hodges. At the time, she was a county clerk in Kentucky. As part of her sworn duty, she was tasked with issuing marriage licenses to couples -- but she refused to do so for gay couples. This didn't just cause unnecessary, inconvenient delays -- it was discriminatory and traumatic for couples who had already fought so hard to be together.
Davis was jailed for six days for her offenses. Now, she's taking her complaint all the way to the Supreme Court -- claiming her First Amendment rights were infringed upon, and more horrifically, calling into question the constitutionality of
Obergefell v. Hodges.Let us be clear: we believe Davis does not have a leg to stand on.
Not only is legalizing same-sex marriage the right thing to do and the vast majority of Americans support it; Davis was
failing to do her job when she was jailed. She was acting on behalf of the state, and the First Amendment doesn't extend to allowing her to discriminate in the workplace.
The LGBTQ community is beautiful. It is made of people who love deeply, give endlessly, and deserve the same respect and protection as anyone else. But if
Obergefell is overturned, millions could lose the right to marry, and families could be kept apart by outdated, hateful laws.
While this is an unlikely outcome, we can't wait around to see what the Supreme Court will do.
We must act now by making sure state constitutions protect same-sex marriage forever. If we enshrine this right in state law, no federal ruling can take it away.
Sign the petition and tell your state lawmakers: protect marriage equality in our constitution, now and always. Love is love, and it's worth defending with everything we have.