Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
On major social issues, a Supreme Court decision doesn't always mean the end of the fight (hi, there, Roe v. Wade)—the decision makes law but minds can be slower to change. With marriage equality, though, we've seen a rapid shift in American attitudes, providing an important backdrop to the upcoming Supreme Court case on the issue. That hasn't escaped Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's notice:
With the high court set to rule on the issue by June, she said it “would not take a large adjustment” for Americans should the justices say that gay marriage is a constitutional right.
“The change in people’s attitudes on that issue has been enormous,” Ginsburg said. “In recent years, people have said, ‘This is the way I am.’ And others looked around, and we discovered it’s our next-door neighbor -- we’re very fond of them. Or it’s our child’s best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that ‘this is who I am,’ the rest of us recognized that they are one of us.”
That's exactly what happened. And the Supreme Court can now clear the way for more people to come out and have their relationships respected under the law. If only Congress would also protect people's rights on the job with an Employment Non-Discrimination Act ...