Tick Tock Equality

Countdown to SCOTUS Oral Arguments

On Tuesday, April 28th the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on four marriage equality cases -- with a decision due in June that could end discrimination against marriage equality for same-sex couples across the nation. For those of us who have been in trenches on the battle for marriage equality it's a huge and long-awaited step -- with every reason for optimism and no room for complacency.

The best summary of what could/might/may happen is from my brilliant friend Jon Davidson with Lambda Legal. You can read that here.

Folks have been camping out outside the Court for a week to secure one of the seats in the visitor gallery to be a witness to history. Pundits have been prognosticating, doomsayers have been doomsaying and marriage equality is back in the news cycle.

I wrote over on the Huffington Post about the collateral damage that happens to LGBT people as a result of the "ongoing indignity of having our deepest, holiest, most precious loves and relationships debated and dissected in the public arena as "an issue" -- as if that in itself wasn't deeply dehumanizing and as if it was not profoundly personal." Yes, there's collateral damage in the struggle. It's the price we pay for progress.

And as we move toward April 28 and look beyond to Decision Day in June #Unite4Marriage has organized a weekend of Prayer for Marriage Equality (April 25-26) -- and All Saints Church participated with prayers in church and pictures outside. Check those out here. 

Tuesday there are #Unite4Marriage events all over the country -- including a noonday Eucharist at All Saints. Info on that here.

Hundreds have signed our "Stand with the Episcopal Church for Marriage Equality" statement (not too late to sign yourself right here)  and the op-ed in today's NYT -- It’s Not Gay Marriage vs. the Church Anymore -- includes these important words of wisdom:

"The faith traditions supporting marriage equality are telling the court that religions, like American families, are diverse. An increasing number of Bible-based faith communities have an inclusive attitude toward gay families and marriages. For years, Americans harbored hurtful stereotypes about gay people as anti-family; the same-sex marriage movement has helped rebut those inaccurate notions. Today, some progressives harbor inaccurate stereotypes about religious people as anti-gay and intolerant. The Episcopalians, Unitarians, Presbyterians and many other faiths are falsifying those stereotypes. Just as American religion is changing, so, too, are the ranks of those who are pushing for equality."

I love this because it makes the point that the work we are doing is bigger than simply securing equal protection for the marriages of same-sex couples -- as important as that work is. The work we are doing is breaking through the stereotypes and toxic narratives that have convinced so many people that the church is narrow, judgmental and irrelevant -- and have kept so many from even considering Christianity as an option because they thought they knew enough about Christians not to want to be one.

On Tuesday, April 28th the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on four marriage equality cases -- with a decision due in June that could end discrimination against marriage equality for same-sex couples across the nation. For those of us who have been in trenches on the battle for marriage equality it's a huge and long-awaited step -- with every reason for optimism and no room for complacency. But plenty of room for deep gratitude for the privilege of being part of this historic struggle to make liberty and justice not just a pledge we make but a reality we live as we put our faith into action.