Congressman Boyle Applauds SCOTUS Decision Affirming the Right to Same-Sex Marriage

Statement

Today, Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA-13) applauded the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges guaranteeing same-sex couples the freedom to marry across our nation under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Now, committed same-sex couples no longer have to fear an unstable patchwork of marriage protections and the important rights inseparably linked to marriage.

"This is a momentous day for all Americans, especially the LGBT community, and their families and friends who have stood by them fighting for equal rights across the United States," said Congressman Boyle. "It is a vindication of our constitution's promise of equality for all Americans. The Fourteenth Amendment protects the legal rights of all U.S. citizens-- regardless of the state one happens to live within or move to. Equal protection means marriage equality."

Last month, a Gallup poll showed that sixty per cent of Americans agree that marriage between same-sex couples should be recognized as valid. That number is the highest it's been in the nineteen years that Gallup has been asking the question. "I am pleased to see the Court reflect what the overwhelming majority of the American public knows to be true: same-sex couples should have access to the security and dignity of a legally respected marriage," reflected Congressman Boyle. "Every loving and committed couple deserves the rights and respect afforded to us all under the law, and the ensuing obligations and protections the law provides. The Court's ruling is an important step toward ending the indignity and injustice of discrimination that is faced by many on account of whom they love and where they happen to live."

Marriage equality has already been affirmed in thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia.

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