Same Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage qualifies as a matter of bodily autonomy because the act of marrying involves both mind and body.

After years of controversy over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, in 2015 the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same sex marriage could no longer be banned in the United States and must be recognized legally in every state. Same-sex couples hoped the fight was over.

Now, however, because Roe v. Wade was recently overturned, removing the decades-long constitutional right to abortion, same-sex couples and allies fear for their rights once again.

“Abortion access is one of several fundamental rights that’s under attack, including our right to vote, racial justice, LGBTQ rights,” said Rocio Fierro-Pérez, a political coordinator for the Texas Freedom Network, in an interview with the Texas Tribune. “They’re all intertwined with our right to liberty in which Roe v. Wade was grounded.”

Obergefell v. Hodges happened seven years ago, so why are people scared? They point to the fact that Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, some 49 years ago, and yet it was overturned this year.

“You can never expect that everyone is going to accept it all of a sudden,” History and Writing for College teacher Cal Trembath said. “But I had hoped that [the Roe v. Wade ruling] would lead to the end of the debate, and I’m sad that it’s returning and that the opposition is back.”

Many students say that same-sex marriage should no longer be argued about, and it doesn’t have the significance that many Americans claim it has on everyone’s life.

“It is just so confusing to me why they care so much about it,” said sophomore Jaime Delgado. “If they’re happy, who cares? Why would you want to mess with someone else’s happiness?”

The number of same-sex marriages is still very small compared to the total population, but the rate of same-sex marriages within the LGBT community has roughly doubled in the seven years since Obergefell v. Hodges, according to Gallup – an American analytics company.

“Here’s my thing, if you want to marry a girl, go ahead,” said sophomore Jiovany Martinez Nolasco. “Why should I care? It doesn’t affect me.”