Same-sex marriage rights face new threat at Supreme Court

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The Supreme Court has been asked to overturn its 2015 ruling that legalized same sex marriage nationwide. The Bay Area saw some of the first vows from same-sex couples when California legalized it in 2008.

KRON4 spoke to a couple celebrating their 17^th wedding anniversary this year.

Gay couples were getting married at San Francisco City Hall long before same sex marriage was legalized nationally 10 years ago. Those couples are paying close attention to what’s happening with the Supreme Court.

The nine Supreme Court Justices may take up a case that asks them to overturn the right to same sex marriage. A possibility that San Francisco Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford says she saw coming from republicans.

“I knew as a trans person that they weren’t going to stop with us and that this is proof that they are going to keep going,” Ford said.

The case was brought by Kim Davis, a former Kentucky clerk who was arrested in 2015 for refusing to issue marriage certificates to same sex couples.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney first married in 2004 during the ‘Winter of Love’ at San Francisco City Hall. Those marriages were all annulled, so the couple said “I Do” again in 2008 when California legalized same sex marriage.

“It never feels good to have somebody file a petition before the United States Supreme Court to take away your marriage,” Gaffney said. “But one thing we know for sure is that our love is here to stay and our marriage is here to stay.”

Though the case has been filed with the Supreme Court, that doesn’t mean the justices will take it up. Gaffney and Stuart are confident that their marriage will continue to be recognized as legal in every state.

“The Supreme Court itself has shown no interest in this point in overturning its historic marriage equality decision of 10 years ago,” Lewis said.

The most recent Gallup Poll shows that about 70 percent of Americans support same sex marriage. Ford says the support is great, but that it’s time for silent members of the LGBTQ community to speak up. 

“It’s going to touch all of us eventually,” Ford said. “I think the sooner we get to that realization, the sooner we can stand up and say we aren’t going to have this here in America.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider the case at the Justices’ conference on Sept. 2.