Change is inevitable. Suffering is optional. And when more than 300 same sex marriages took place last year in the state of Michigan, it forever changed the landscape of what marriage means and how it will be viewed throughout the city, state and the country.
On Tuesday, April 28, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether all 50 states must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, positioning it to resolve one of the great civil rights questions in a generation before its current term ends in June.The court will decide whether gay and lesbian couples can marry and have their marriages recognized in 50 states.
The Michigan case, DeBoer v. Snyder, No. 14-571, was brought by April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, two nurses. They sued to challenge the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
In urging the Supreme Court to hear their case, they asked the justices to do away with “the significant legal burdens and detriments imposed by denying marriage to same-sex couples, as well as the dignity and emotional well-being of the couples and any children they may have.”
Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, joined the plaintiffs in urging the Supreme Court to hear the case. The pace of change on same-sex marriage, in both popular opinion and in the courts, has no parallel in the nation’s history. And until now, the justices have ducked the issue, as a number of states have chosen to act – the number of states allowing same-sex marriage has since grown to 37, and more than 70 percent of Americans live in places where gay couples can marry.
With 37 of the 50 states now permitting gay marriage, many because of judicial orders, it seems unlikely the country’s highest court would reverse course. Public opinion polls over the last decade have shown large increases in support for gay marriage. A ruling is due by the end of June.
The cases the Supreme Court agreed to hear, were brought by some 15 same-sex couples in four states. The plaintiffs said they have a fundamental right to marry and to be treated as opposite-sex couples are, adding that bans they challenged demeaned their dignity, imposed countless practical difficulties and inflicted particular harm on their children.
Gay rights advocates hailed the court’s move as one of the final steps in a decades-long journey toward equal treatment, and they expressed confidence they would prevail.
Zack Burgess is an award winning journalist. He is the Director/Owner of OFF WOODWARD MEDIA, LLC, where he works as a writer, editor and communications specialist. His work can be seen at zackburgess.com. Twitter: @zackburgess1
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