Destination Reached

Arizona Equality Home Section | When They Stopped Waiting Article | Press Kit

Today the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States decided marriage equality cases before them from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Today is a victory for same sex couples. Same sex couple relationships are equal to and deserve the same treatment as opposite-sex couples. The individuals in same sex marriages can now enjoy the same benefits of marriage nationwide that opposite-sex couples seldom even ponder.

In their ruling, the Supreme Court Justices indirectly reaffirmed the ruling from Judge John Sedwick from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and all the other Circuit courts. The ruling again validates the claims of all plaintiffs in two Arizona same sex marriage lawsuits, Connolly v. Jeanes and Majors v. Jeanes, that any ban on same sex marriage is a violation our equal rights under the of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling again validates ALL claims by all same sex marriage plaintiffs in every state. The ruling validates all single gay and lesbian people recognizing they have a right to enter into marriage when they are ready. The ruling validates the beliefs of ALL supporters of same sex marriage.

More importantly, this is justice served for pioneers in marriage equality like Harold Standhardt and Tod Keltner of Arizona who filed suit in 2003. Sadly, the judicial system ruled against them in 2003. Today is a victory for them too. In Arizona, The Standhardt case started the Arizona road to equality by filing the first lawsuit in the state of Arizona. The Connolly and Majors cases paved the road for marriage equality to our state borders. And now, the plaintiffs in the cases before the Supreme Court have connected all roads to equality in all fifty states and several U. S Territories. We have reached our destination: marriage equality.

Yet the journey is not over. Yes, destination “marriage equality” was reached. But there is more equality work to be done, more roads to build. And we will continue to build them, individually, collectively and with one common goal, equality for all.