Marriage equality now law of the land: Community to rally at Seattle’s Federal Courthouse

The 5–4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Friday, June 26 stated that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage, making marriage equality legal across the United States.

Here in Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray will lead a marriage equality rally this afternoon in celebration of the ruling. Murray will speak alongside other elected officials and community members. The rally happens Friday, June 26 at 5:00 p.m. at U.S. District Court, 700 Stewart St.

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant said the ruling shows the strength of the LGBTQ movement and that there is more work to be done in the movement to fight back against hate crimes.

“Let us use this momentum to address the ongoing injustices LGBTQ people face every day: in their workplaces, in finding affordable housing, in being pushed out of their communities by big developers, and in confronting hate crimes and police brutality,” Sawant said. “In 29 states, it is still legal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation. Transgender people in particular experience especially high rates of poverty, unemployment, and hate crimes, including murder.”

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauded the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which requires states to license marriages between same-sex couples or recognize such marriages performed in other states.

To read more about the ruling and the entire SCOTUS opinion, click here

“NAPABA has been a longstanding supporter of marriage equality because Asian Pacific Americans were long denied equal access to fundamental rights, including the fundamental right to marry,” said NAPABA president George C. Chen in a statement. “Today’s landmark decision is an important step toward eliminating discrimination and achieving equality under the law for all Americans.”

OCA—Asian Pacific American Advocates commended the Supreme Court for advancing marriage equality as well as for preserving nationwide health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and reinforcing the protections of the disparate impact provision in the Fair Housing Act.

“Attaining marriage equality has been one of the greatest civil rights struggles of our time,” said Ken Lee, OCA Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. “LGBT couples deserve the right to be married, to be loved, and to be happy the same as any other American, and we applaud the Supreme Court for boldly deciding in favor of equality and against bigotry. It has taken the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of advocates over decades of struggle for this moment, and OCA is proud to have been a part of it. The LGBT movement deserves every ounce of celebration of this victory in the midst of Pride Month.”

“So much progress towards equality has happened in such a short time, and yet the fight is not over,” continued Lee. “Though we have seen a sea change in public opinion about same-sex marriage, we have yet to see a society that fully accepts LGBT individuals. There has been resistance to implementation of same-sex marriage legalization in many states and we must closely monitor local precincts to make sure they are in compliance. There are still state laws that allow businesses and employers to discriminate against individuals simply for their sexual orientation. Most importantly, there are still LGBT children being shamed for who they are. Until we reach a point in our society when we are fully accepting of all persons, no matter their color, creed, or sexual orientation, we must keep striving for a more equal and just society.”

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Editor’s note (6/29/15 at 3:14 p.m.)The quote by OCA CEO Ken Lee was updated to correctly say “sexual orientation” instead of “sexual preference.”