The Right to Pride

 

June is Pride Month in honor of the Stonewall Riots, and the month has remained important for gay rights.

On this day in 2003, the Lawrence v. Texas decision struck down Texas sodomy laws, along with similar laws in 13 other states.  

The case started in 1998 when police responded to reports of someone brandishing a gun.  Upon entering the apartment, Lawrence was arrested under a 'Homosexual Conduct' law.  The ruling is based more on a right to privacy, but effectively legalized same-sex sexual activity.

In 2015, Obergefell v. Hodges determined same-sex marriages must be recognized nationwide.

Jim Obergefell and John Arthur had been married in Maryland, where it had been legalized at the state level, but was not recognized by Ohio authorities.

"The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment couples of the same sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Following this, some counties continued to refuse marriage licenses, and we all know same-sex relationships continue to be a target of hate and religious intolerance.

Civil Rights are an ongoing struggle in many ways.