1 / 10 Obergefell -- And Beyond

The ruling by the Supreme Court in <i>Obergefell v. Hodges</i>, <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-court-gay-marriage_n_7470036" target="_blank">bringing marriage equality </a>to the entire United States, was profound, empowering and simply majestic. <br><br>Having the highest court in the land rule that same-sex couples are to be afforded the same dignity and respect under the U.S. Constitution as heterosexual couples was a monumental, hard-fought achievement. <br><br>The couples and individuals who battled in state after state for this right — eventually pushing the case to the high court — were our heroes, as were the visionary attorneys at the forefront, including <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/attorney-in-scotus-marriage-case-on-victory-472188483940" target="_blank">Mary Bonauto</a>, <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/freedom-to-marry_n_6880616" target="_blank">Evan Wolfson</a>, and<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/roberta-kaplan-mississippi-gay-marriage_n_6045636" target="_blank"> Robbie Kaplan</a>.<br><br>Though the U.S. was late to the game compared to other countries that had brought marriage equality to their citizens, the <i>Obergefell</i> decision was surely a game-changer, as the U.S. has enormous global influence. The impact here and <a href="http://www.hrc.org/blog/2015-a-year-in-review-of-lgbt-equality-worldwide" target="_blank">around the world</a> can’t be underestimated, and we saw enormous positive change in the months following, in part because of<i> Obergefell</i>, both in the states and globally. <br><br>But the backlash to <i>Obergefell</i> can't be underestimated as well: Within hours anti-gay forces were diminishing the win, focusing on the narrow 5-4 decision, the <a href="http://www.artleonardobservations.com/supreme-court-issues-historic-marriage-equality-ruling/" target="_blank">unclear if lofty </a>language of Justice Kennedy’s majority decision and the <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/122210/anthony-kennedys-same-sex-marriage-opinion-was-logical-disaster" target="_blank">sharp dissent </a>by Chief Justice Roberts. "<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeb-bush-respect-my-oppos_b_6428748" target="_blank">Religious liberty</a>" became their mantra, as they moved to make themselves immune from the ruling via legislative efforts. <br><br>It became clear that <i>Obergefell</i> was a powerful beginning — not an end — and that we’d be back at the high court many times, something LGBT Americans must fully comprehend if we’re to secure full equality and not succumb to<a href="http://www.texasobserver.org/signorile-warns-lgbt-community-to-resist-victory-blindness/" target="_blank"> victory blindness</a>.

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