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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Hoosiers celebrate Supreme Court decision on gay marriage

Justin Ford, board chair on the Bloomington Pride Board of Directors, starts a round of applause in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage Friday.  Bloomington Pride hosted the celebration in Rachael's Cafe where dozens of local residents attended.

When Justin Ford saw the news, he was in his house making an omelet.

He said he got a CNN alert and began to sob.

Friday morning, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled with a 5-4 vote that same-sex marriage is protected by the Constitution.

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family,” according to the court’s majority opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were... It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage.”

Steve Sanders, a­n associate professor at the Maurer School of Law, said he was not surprised by the ruling.

“I think it was a big deal as far as constitutional law goes, but it was a big deal that the majority of the country was prepared for,” he said. “Polls show that a majority of Americans favor same-sex marriage, so in that sense this decision is not at odds with that the American people want.”

In his dissenting opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts said the Constitution could not be used to protect gay marriage because it had nothing to say on the subject.

“It wasn’t anti-gay,” Sanders said, referring to the dissenting statement. “The point was supposed to be that judges have no business making this decision, and I think that’s just simply wrong. This was a minority group being denied its legal rights and when that happens, government has to put forth a persuasive justification and on that count government failed.”

Sanders said though he expects some people to be reluctant to accept the ruling. The decision has officially put the same-sex marriage debate to rest as far as constitutional law is concerned.

“In some ways it’s not a traditional legal opinion because it doesn’t have a huge number of references to precedent,” he said. “But I think on its own terms, it makes a very strong case about the history of marriage and the circumstances under which it’s proper or improper to deny marriage.”

Ford and other Bloomington residents gathered at Rachael’s Café to celebrate the Court’s decision Friday evening.

People holding rainbow umbrellas wore rainbow shirts and blew rainbow noisemakers under rainbow flags. Everyone hugged and cheered and congratulated each other on the victory.

The community members at the event stressed the fact that though this is a major victory for the LGBTQ community in America, the war for equality is far from won.

Speakers said they hope clearing this large hurdle will allow activists to focus on other issues like equal employment opportunities, housing discrimination and transgender issues.

“We can marry whoever we love anywhere in the country,” Ford announced to a cheering audience.

“I had known it meant a lot to me, but I think today the gravity of what it really means hit me, and I just became overcome,” Ford said. “It’s about the next generation never having to face this as a debate. My children, gay or straight, will never know this as a fight, but as a reality, and that’s something that makes me hopeful.”

He recognized that, while it is a special day to celebrate with the LGBTQ community, it is also important that allies be recognized.

“The Supreme Court justices may or may not identify as LGBT, but they acknowledged that our struggle was worth fighting for and worth acting on,” he said. “It’s so important that we appreciate the allies. Without them, this battle could not have been won.”

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