We asked some of our City Dads Group contributors to weigh in with their thoughts on and reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that declared same-sex marriage is legal and states must recognize such unions.
“To quote Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to office in California and a tireless voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer rights, ‘It takes no compromising to give people their rights. It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no survey to remove repressions … All men are created equal. No matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.’
“What it took to stitch marriage equality firmly into the fabric of our nation, was decades of unyielding perseverance, countless unfortunate and not-to-be-forgotten casualties, and an insistence on maintaining the same self-evident truths that our country was founded upon.
Sunday, we stood with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters at San Francisco Pride in the place where a movement for equality once commenced and celebrated its ultimate culmination. It was a celebration of victory, of unity, and most of all, love. A proud day for all of America.”
— Mike Heenan, San Francisco Dads Group
“My wife and I, our two daughters, and my mom and her wife all sat around the dinner table Friday night. After our usual Shabbat blessings, I added one. As we held our glasses up, I explained to my daughters that it was a special day. I reminded my 5-year-old that her two grandmas married each other and that she actually attended the ceremony when she was very small. I then told her that in many places in this country people would not let boys who loved boys or girls who loved girls married each other. Then, I said that our highest court said that everyone in all of the United States could marry whoever they loved. ‘Isn’t that great?’ I asked her. ‘Yes,’ she replied. It was a great moment. Then, today my daughter told my wife that she was going to marry me when I came home from work. But, since she couldn’t wait that long, she quickly added ‘well, girls can marry girls, so mommy I’ll marry you since daddy’s not here.'”
— Ariel Chesler, NYC Dads Group
“My former next-door neighbors (who are still close friends) are ecstatic, as their marriage (and 20-year relationship) will now be honored and approved in Georgia where they live. Also, I know it’ll help friends I’ve had over the years from the military who’ve stayed in the closet, even after the lifting of the ‘ban,’ as I think this will drop the perceived stigma they used to feel.”
— Michael Moebes, Atlanta Dads Group
“I am pleased that my daughter will grow up during a time when all can marry, when all can have the rights that come with marriage. My wife and I want those rights to exist for our friends and family members who are personally affected by this decision, but also because we do not know what our child’s sexual orientation is. We have always taught her about equality and to see this decision come down this way is so exciting. We couldn’t be happier for our friends and family in the LGBTQ community!”
— Christopher Persley, NYC Dads Group
“It seems like such a no-brainer. ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.’ I mean what defines marriage more than the Pursuit of Happiness? It’s an inalienable right, and finally, finally, it’s brought back to 10 percent of the population! Please note I’m not saying that marriage is itself happiness. It is not. It’s the pursuit that is important. You pursue it with your partner (whatever their gender, whatever your gender) And sometimes, if you are lucky, it pursues you back!”
— Adam Gertsacov, Chicago Dads Group
“It is quite apparent that our nation but also the Republican right in Washington have been overcome by a wave of religious zealotry with regard to the changing definition of family. But much like the civil rights movement in the 1960s many more are seeing that your gender just like the color of your skin has nothing to do with how much love you have in your heart to give to a husband, wife, or partner. I think this movement and the Supreme Court decision is great and it sends a loud message that our country’s history of evolution and inclusion is still alive. It also reminds us that the Supreme Court is still here to interpret the laws and the Constitution so that no one can give or take away your right to dignity. Those rights are inalienable and belong to EVERYONE.”
— Jason S. Grant, NYC Dads Group
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