David Mixner has a great post which summarizes the importance of this moment we are in- RIGHT NOW- as we await the US Supreme Court’s decisions. He is saying something very important!
At the worst, the Court can only make our struggle more difficult, longer and perhaps more intense. At the best, the decisions the Supreme Court of the United States can overturn DOMA and broaden declare that marriage equality is a Constitutional right.Either way there is much work to be done.If the Court comes down with the worst case scenario, we will have to fight state by state and in the legislatures and ballot boxes. The process will be hard and expensive but the people are with us and we will win.If the Court gives us an all out victory, there will be states and communities that will attempt to evade the law of the land. We must work hard to ensure enforcement. And lets not forget that any decision will not protect us in the work place, in housing and the rights of our Transgender brothers and sisters. Additional legislation will need to be passed to ensure those God given right and protections.If the news is good lets us gather in the town squares of America and celebrate the magnificent victory. If the news is bad, let us act with dignity and integrity and show our determination to be free.
- We MUST recognize the significance of this moment, no matter what our next steps are.
- We must be ready to take the next steps, no matter what they are.
I’d echo everything he says, except I would add that this will not be the last same-sex marriage case to come before the US Supreme Court. It isn’t the last time their input will help guide the continuing path to real justice for all.
I’d also say, that regardless of what the Court rules, we will have to continue to fight this state by state at the ballot box, because to a degree, that is how democracy works. And as we have sen in the last few years, we can win at every level- the ballot box, at the State Legislatures as well as in the Courts.
The decisions that will be handed down, both the majority decisions as well as the dissenting, will become tools used in future legal battles, and they are crucial tools.
But this isn’t a hypothetical thing, and real lives and real families are impacted by this decision. We hope for the rulings to be more than tools.
You could say, that now we await the decisions, but I’d like to suggest that we do more than simply wait. Use this time to relish the importance of this milestone and this moment! And use this time to prepare for how we move forward, demanding full equality for all LGBTQ persons. Some feel that the inordinate focus on Marriage has eclipsed the needs for other rights for gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and queer people. It is up to us to make sure that no one is left behind and that freedom for all, includes ALL.