For Immediate Release: June 26, 2015
Washington, DC – Today, Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie (D – Ward 5) released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, which will prohibit states’ ban on same-sex marriage:
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for every American. While citizens in 37 states and the District of Columbia have enjoyed the right to to marry an individual of the same sex, this right remains unfairly inhibited in 13 other states. Our highest court’s ruling corrects this wrong and paves the way for marriage equality for every citizen in our nation, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
“It is humbling to look back and see how far we have come as a nation. Equally as humbling is to recognize how far we have yet to go. It no doubt takes more than the judicial process to alter the behavior of our neighbors. Just earlier today, President Obama gave the eulogy for State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney, one of nine victims of the June 17 shooting at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina. Now, more than ever, we must come together and rid ourselves of the hate and hostility that some have embraced based on nothing more than simple differences.
“Each day, we continue to make great strides.
“Today’s landmark decision will be remembered by generations to come. Equality, in all its many forms — across race, gender, class and sexual orientation — was never meant to be aspirational. It is meant to be a reality. Let us celebrate the glimpses of the mountaintop along our continued journey. And let us not be satisfied until we are sitting atop that mountain. Each and every one of us.”
