One morning before class, I was scrolling through my New York Times notifications, never really knowing what I might come across. What I saw was something I hoped would never resurface.
On November 10th, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request to revisit the same-sex marriage decision proposed by Kim Davis, a Republican Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. To even hear the case, at least four of the nine justices would have needed to agree. They didn’t. While this may sound like good news, it worries me that this case even made it to the Supreme Court in the first place.
Historically, homophobia and right-wing politics go together. While not all conservatives are homophobic, studies do consistently show a significantly higher prevalence of homophobic beliefs among those who identify as politically conservative or Republican. According to a 2022 study, those with conservative views had 2.6 times greater odds of viewing gay relationships as “immoral” compared to others. But why is someone being free to love whomever they want an issue?
The New York Times has dubbed Ms. Davis “a symbol of religious opposition,” using her religion to object and refuse to grant same-sex couples marriage licenses. Davis argued that the Constitution “makes no reference to same-sex marriage and no such right is implicitly recognized by any constitutional provision.” She spent five nights in jail after she was found in contempt of court for defying a federal order to issue licenses to same-sex couples.
Davis appealed the judgment and claimed protection from the First Amendment, but she was overruled. The U.S. The Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that public officials cannot “wield the authority of the state to violate the constitutional rights of citizens if the official believes she is following her conscience.”
The most concerning part of Davis’ case resurfacing after ten years of silence is that she is seen as a martyr by conservative lawyers, lawmakers, and religious activists. While the Supreme Court denied her attempt to reopen the same-sex marriage decision, the danger of the case reopening still remains. While it, luckily, didn’t happen this time, that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen in the future.
That is what scares me.
Only ten years ago, on June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized through the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. Since the court’s decision in 2015, more than 820,000 same-sex couples have married and are raising nearly 300,000 children.
The Supreme Court ruled that states banning same-sex marriage was a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment that “granted citizenship to all persons ‘born or naturalized in the United States’” and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection under the laws,” after the Civil War, but now it has extended to require “a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state.” — essentially the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.
Without a legally recognized marriage, same-sex couples cannot file taxes, have inheritance rights, make medical decisions for their spouse, obtain health insurance, maintain hospital visitation rights, and so much more.
Yes, this case and the news are important, but why does it matter so much to me? If this case gets revisited, my entire future could look vastly different than how I’ve always imagined it for myself.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to get married. I’ve envisioned my dress, and hell, I already have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to adjust to that dream: a life with the partner I love, our dogs, probably kids, in a home full of warmth, laughter, and love.
But what do I do when all that could not be legally recognized? What do I do when my entire life is never really accepted by society and under the law? What would I do if I were told that I can’t visit my spouse in the hospital because I’m not “family?” Why does my life have to change because of someone else’s opinion?
That is what hangs in the balance.
While the rights for LGBTQ+ people to be legally married remain, it’s scary to see that they could be overturned someday. This might be a win for right now, but it’s a reminder that my rights are not guaranteed. They could be questioned, threatened, and ultimately undone.
My life, relationship, and future shouldn’t be at stake because of other people’s beliefs.