WASHINGTON — Two conservatives on the Supreme Court have just reminded the American people why electing Democratic legislators is so important. On the first day of their new term, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito called for the overturning of the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized marriage equality in all 50 states. There are still 13 states with anti-marriage equality laws that could go into effect if the conservative court strikes Obergefell down.
To defend marriage equality in the United States, we need to elect Democratic majorities.
“The GOP’s cruel, decades-long fight to ban marriage equality could come to a head in the Supreme Court and we need blue legislatures to stop it,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Jessica Post. “Democratic legislatures will be the last line of defense against an archaic attempt to turn back the clock on LGBTQ+ rights. This is the most important election of our lives, and it just became that much more critical to flip state chambers blue to protect marriage in this country.”
Republican majorities have failed to create LGBTQ+ protections across the country. There are currently 29 states in which LGBTQ+ discrimination is legal, including the 13 states where marriage equality was still banned until the Obergefell ruling — all with GOP-run legislatures. Democratic majorities in New York, Maine, Virginia, and New Hampshire have all recently passed sweeping bills to protect the LGBTQ+ community.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is the official Democratic organization dedicated to winning state legislative seats. Earlier this year, the DLCC announced its $50 million “Flip Everything” campaign, an unprecedented effort to win legislative majorities across the country. Since Donald Trump’s election, the DLCC and state partners have flipped more than 450 seats and 10 chambers from red to blue.
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