After a perilous battle for gay rights in 2015, same sex marriage is once again under fire in the United States.
Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, two conservative judges have voiced their opinions, seeming to challenge the 2015 verdict. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the 2015 case “read a right to same sex marriage,” even though that right was “nowhere to be found” within the text itself, according to TIME magazine.
Justice Samuel Alito has expressed similar concerns.
President Donald Trump’s new edition to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, has made remarks that bring to question her views on marriage equality. According to PBS news, Barrett acted as a trustee for the Trinity School, a private Christian school in Indiana.
But this is not the end of Barrett’s controversial religious affiliations. According to AP news, Barrett has been connected to the religious group People of Praise, and they have attempted to hide the affiliation by deleting documents off its database. Obviously, this is not a transparent move and may reflect poorly on someone in the process of being appointed onto the supreme court.
People of Praise has been known to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the past, which is why many find Barrett’s involvement concerning. AP news interviewed former People of Praise member Mary Belton, who said her family was kicked out of the entire community after her mother came out as gay. It is due to the group’s obvious bigotry against the LGBTQ community that have many worried about Barrett’s supreme court nomination.
The school was known for discriminating against students with gay parents as well as gay and lesbian teachers. With her nomination to the court, it may be possible for conservatives to rule against previous precedent if a new case came to fruition.
Many LGBTQ advocacy groups have advocated for Barrett’s removal, including Lambda Legal, who wrote a letter to the senate, according to Newsweek.com. Barett allegedly said about the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges, “Those who want same-sex marriage, you have every right to lobby in state legislatures to make that happen, but the dissent’s view was that it wasn’t for the court to decide.”
Furthermore, Barrett expressed criticism during a lecture at Jacksonville University, expressing doubt about Title IX protections being extended to transgender Americans, despite the fact that violent crimes are committed against them at higher rates. Transgender people are part of the LGBTQ community who often have their human rights called into question.
While religious liberties may continue to thrive in America, religion does not own marriage. If LGBTQ members in America lose the right to marry, we can only hope people will take to the streets and stand up for them.