Reflections on Yesterday

November 3, 2022

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.

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