Supreme Court to Cover Gay Marriage—Exeter Responds
This past Friday, the United States Supreme Court agreed to decide on the long-contested issue of gay marriage. In a landmark decision, the justices will weigh individual rights against state rights and provide a final, nationwide verdict that will decide whether or not this country’s gay and lesbian individuals will have the right to marry under the Constitution. The case will be argued in April and a decision is expected by this June.
While several states have already passed laws allowing gay marriage, the overwhelming majority of states still prohibit the practice. Marriage licenses are issued by the state, which poses a great difficulty for some lesbian and gay couples. Some states allow for a “civil union” which allows the two parties to be legally bound, but does not afford them the many financial and legal benefits of being a married couple.
In the Exeter community, we pride ourselves on being a tolerant and culturally-aware group, so although this decision is not local news, it is still hugely applicable to us, both as inhabitants of the U.S. and as Exonians.
The gay rights movement in America has been ongoing for almost a century now. Most agree that much progress has been made over the years, but at the same time, many battles still remain in this long struggle. There are currently over 1,100 federal marriage benefits and responsibilities not afforded to gay and lesbian couples.
Robert Connor, a co-head of Gay Straight Alliance, or GSA for short, explained that, “The progress of gay rights in America is like a yo-yo. Sometimes there are steps being taken in the forward direction, but often the progress either halts or the country even goes backwards.”
While the decision for a court hearing in April is definitely a step forward, the actual ruling in June can be either a step forward or backwards for the LGBT movement. “I don't know what is going to happen,” Director of Student Activities Joanne Lembo said, “But I hope that the Supreme Court will step in and say that it is absolutely a civil rights issue and that marriage should be granted to every American.”
“This announcement means that there might be light at the end of the tunnel in the fight for marriage equality,” commented Joe Platte, a co-head of Democratic club. “While in the last year we have seen marriage equality sweep through many states, there are still people who are in love but discriminated against by their state government.”
Senior Rowan McDonald, another co-head of GSA, believes that it’s more likely to pass than ever, but at the same time, still is not sure what will happen. “I think that the Constitution sufficiently guarantees equal rights to provide the backing for this case,” Rowan said.
"It’s not really about politics at this point. Given political trends, most or all of the country will probably approve gay marriage fairly soon. It’s just a matter of where we are in the historical timeline."
As with other big events, the GSA believes that they will plan something in the future in response to the court hearing. “We haven’t planned anything yet but, as with previous cases, we’ll certainly have a party in the GSA room,” McDonald said.
Some people are confused why gay marriage hasn’t been approved when the majority of America has come to support it over the years.
“One thing that is encouraging is that marriage equality is slowly losing its partisan feel,” Platte said. “Due to the relentless work of activists, the political landscape of this issue has changed and marriage equality is marching forward relentlessly.”
Lily Friedberg, a co-head of Republican club, clarified this question, commenting, “It’s not really about politics at this point. Given political trends, most or all of the country will probably approve gay marriage fairly soon. It’s just a matter of where we are in the historical timeline.”
Friedberg added that while there are many liberal parts of the country where gay marriage is widely accepted, there are also many conservative parts where it is not. Friedberg said, “More and more, people know gay couples and are becoming more accepting, but homophobia is deeply culturally entrenched.”
Many argue about whether the people, states or Supreme Court should have the final say on whether or not to legalize gay marriage. Some believe the issue is one of constitutional rights, while others believe the decision should follow the opinion of the majority.
McDonald expressed his stance on the issue in terms of governmental versus individual power. “I think that it is the Supreme Court’s decision because it is not a positive liberty, but rather a negative one. Also, it doesn’t impact the rights of any other individuals. It’s not as if others will have to worry about the repercussions.”
Even if gay marriage is legalized, many believe that there are still obstacles to cross in the LGBT movement such as professional discrimination and other core issues that may surface once the long-debated issue of gay marriage is resolved.
McDonald believes that the issue of gay marriage is not the peak of the LGBT movement but rather a step forward indicating that the effort is still heading somewhere bigger. McDonald explained, “There is progress, but I think marriage is almost a non sequitur. I’m looking forward to seeing legal action against discrimination—workplace discrimination, mostly.”