Marriage & So Much More
Thoughts by Sarah Audelo Director of Domestic Policy, Advocates for Youth
Recently, the Supreme court heard two cases that could drastically affect same-sex couples’ ability to marry in the United States. The first, Hollingsworth v. Perry, challenges what is known as Prop 8, or California’s ban on same-sex marriage. The second, U.S. v. Windsor, challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits same-sex couples from any federal marriage benefits. While we will not know how the Justices rule until June, what is incredibly clear is that American public opinion on same-sex marriage has shifted drastically over the past 10 years from 37% supporting it in 2003 to 58% in 2013. Today, 81% of Millennials support same-sex marriage which is a sign that it is no longer a matter of “if,” but rather “when” marriage equality will become a reality. Because let’s be honest, it’s not like our generation is suddenly going to wake up and decide it’s okay to deny our friends rights.
However, marriage equality is by no means the only issue at stake for the LGBT community. It’s unacceptable that LGBT students are still being bullied in high numbers in school or that 29 states still allow discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation—34 allowing discrimination based on gender identity or expression (as in you could get fired for being LGBT). An estimated 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT, many of whom have been rejected from their families. In addition, many states still bar LGBT individuals and couples from adopting and the only demographic where we see increases in HIV infections is young gay men of color. Marriage equality certainly won’t solve all these issues, but marriage can serve as a platform to educate this new group of “out” allies to get involved in the full spectrum of injustices that affect the LGBT community. It’s okay that today we celebrate the masses of people who have decided to stand on the right side of history, but tomorrow we must challenge them to truly stand for equality.
