Protesters rallied in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning to voice their opinions on gay marriage during the oral arguments in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.
The Obergefell v. Hodges case seeks to answer two questions: whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to gay couples and whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to recognize gay marriages that were performed in other states.
The Daily Caller went to the Supreme Court to speak with the protesters.
One individual who was protesting in support of gay marriage was wearing a pink leotard, a pink tutu, a tiara and fairy wings. He identified himself as “Juno,” a 23-year-old from Washington, D.C. Juno said he was at the protest to support a “long coming victory for marriage equality.” Juno was optimistic about the decision favoring gay marriage, saying the Supreme Court has been setting a precedent “that the right to marry is universal.”
Juno thinks if the court decides in favor of gay marriage, there will be “more aggressive, more insidious rhetoric from the religious fascists of our time and a greater crackdown on LGB lives as violence will be, for many on the religious right, their only recourse left.”
There were many individuals at the protest who described themselves as members of the religious community who support gay marriage.
Reverend Jill McCrory, from the Twinbrook Baptist Church in Rockville, Maryland spoke as a member of the Baptist community: “I’m here to let people know that not all Baptists talk like these people [the anti-gay marriage protesters] but that there are many supporting Baptists and many welcoming and affirming Baptists and we believe in love and equality.”
To those who were worried about the impact of a decision in support of gay marriage, she said, “This decision would make marriage legal everywhere, but it still would not precludes me from saying, for some reason, if I was uncomfortable with marrying someone. I marry same sex couples all the time, but this ruling is not going to change that. This ruling will make it so that same sex couples can get a legal, contractual marriage.”
Spencer Clark, from Takoma Park, Maryland, was representing Mormons for Equality. He thinks, “We should be treating LBGT couples the same as straight couples. I am here particularly because I know how much my marriage to my wife means to me and how much different our lives would be for us and our children if we didn’t have the right to marriage. I believe that all families should have the same protections that my family enjoys.”
Members of the DC Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group for drag queen nuns, were wearing rainbow face paint. Senior novice Sister Allie Lewya said, “We came out today because the right to get married is longstanding and it’s time that the country caught up to that right and recognized that the Fourteenth Amendment applies to all of us.”
(Members of the DC Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence)
Pastor Rob Apgar-Taylor, a pastor at the Grace United Church of Christ, came from Frederick, Maryland. He said supporting gay marriage is “the side of justice Jesus would be on.”
There were also religious groups who came to the Supreme Court to show their opposition to gay marriage.
Solomon Diamant, from Rockland County, New York was standing with a group of Hasidic Jews. He vocalized his thoughts on the nature of homosexuality: “God created everything. We have to follow his rules. If we uproot his rules, then everything is uprooted.”
On the topic of gay marriage, he said, “They always try to force it [gay marriage]. The Tenth Amendment is that every state has the right to do what they want. They have their own laws. Now the government wants to force other states to accept it. This means they uproot not just the Bible, they uproot the Constitution of the United States for the rights for gays.”
David Grisham, from Amarillo, Texas came with the group Repent Amarillo. He said he stands for “the righteousness of marriage.” If the Supreme Court decides in favor of gay marriage, he believes, “the homosexual community will come out and gear up their lawyers and go out to the churches and try to get marriage in the churches. And when they can’t, they will file lawsuits, they will get court injunctions or court orders, or they will go to the IRS to try to get 5013c status removed from churches. It’s persecution.”
Some individuals who came to the protest were there to express their support for an alternative policy: civil unions.
Jeffrey Cappella, from Arlington, Virginia, held a sign mentioning he is a U.S. Army veteran and a bisexual who “opposes gay marriage,” but “supports federal civil unions,” and “condemns terrorizing small businesses.” He said although he’s been “involved in a lot of movements to make sure that gay people get equal treatment under the eyes of the law, equal rights doesn’t translate into violating other individuals’ rights to practice religion unmolested.” He said, “My mom and I didn’t fight for this and my fellow soldiers don’t deserve that.”
“A little understanding on both sides of the discussion can go a long way,” he added.
(Jeffrey Cappella)
Most of the people protesting against gay marriage refused to be interviewed. They told The Daily Caller they feared retaliation if their names were associated with their views on gay marriage. One concerned protester said, “A lot of times, people will come back and attack you through your work. They’ll make you lose your job.”
Obergefell v. Hodges is expected to be a 5-4 decision.