Reflections on Yesterday

June 27, 2013

Like many of you, the Equality Federation team was glued to SCOTUS Blog yesterday morning. And like you, we were elated when the decisions were released. DOMA struck down. Marriage restored in California. A giant weight was lifted off our shoulders, and we breathed a sigh of relief. We won.

Already we have seen the positive impact the Court's decisions are beginning to have. Yesterday, a judge halted the deportation of an immigrant in a same-sex marriage. This is just one way that the end of DOMA will affect the lives of real people in important ways.

On the day after such a historic victory, we have so many to thank. At the Federation, we want to voice our sincere appreciation to our movement partners in the legal sector: Lambda Legal, GLAD, NCLR, and the ACLU. They prepared the way for yesterday’s life-changing decisions. We want to acknowledge the work of our member groups. The organizing that happens on-the-ground in the communities we call home has helped to turn the tide on marriage to get us to this moment. And lastly, we want to thank this movement -- from volunteers and organizers to lawyers and plaintiffs -- for the courage and determination that has gotten us this far.

That same courage and determination must now keep the momentum going.

Yesterday's decisions moved us several steps forward -- but it didn't complete our journey toward full equality and inclusion. 

In dozens of states, LGBT people can still be fired or evicted for who they are or who they love. Trans people continue to be denied many basic protections while facing legal, medical, and social violence and discrimination on a daily basis. Queer young people can look forward to marriage if they want it one day, but they can still be fast-tracked into the school to prison pipeline, based on their race, economic status, or "behavior problems" that so often stem from the treatment they receive from teachers and peers.

This marriage win was a huge one, but it was a milestone, not a destination. We have much left to do, and we are so grateful that our member organizations -- in states with and without marriage -- are committed to do the work that is to come. We at the Federation are dedicated to working alongside you after the honeymoon.

*Fran Hutchins was a volunteer field organizer with the No on Prop8 Campaign. Photo by Nick Martinez.

More You might like

Launched: Vanguard HIV Policy Change-Makers Fellowship

Equality Federation Institute (EFI), empowered by ViiV Healthcare and our network of state-based LGBTQ+ advocacy partners, launched a bold pilot program this month: The Vanguard HIV Policy Change-Makers Fellowship!

March 13, 2024
Introducing our Newest State Partners!

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to the newest members of our state partner network: BlaqOut and the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico! 

March 13, 2024
REPORT: Preempting LGBTQ+ Rights: How States Undermine Local Leadership and Innovation on LGBTQ+ Equality

In a new paper from A Better Balance, Local Solutions Support Center, and Equality Federation, we trace the local roots of LGBTQ+ equality in the United States and highlight the different types of abusive preemption that target local authority to protect LGBTQ+ individuals.

April 23, 2023
A young man looking up, smilingA young man smiling straight at the camera
Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.