Carlos McKnight, of Washington, waves a flag in support of gay marriage outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Friday June 26, 2015. On that day five years ago, a 5–4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld same-sex marriage nationwide.
                                 AP file photo

Carlos McKnight, of Washington, waves a flag in support of gay marriage outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Friday June 26, 2015. On that day five years ago, a 5–4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld same-sex marriage nationwide.

AP file photo

<p>Dawe</p>

Dawe

<p>Correll</p>

Correll

<p>Eaton</p>

Eaton

<p>Brooks</p>

Brooks

<p>Maloney</p>

Maloney

This week marked the fifth anniversary of a landmark moment in LGBTQ history.

On June 26, 2015 a 5–4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld same-sex marriage nationwide in a case known as Obergefell v. Hodges.

“As someone who just finished college at the time of the Obergefell ruling, it felt affirming and liberating,” Kingston resident Everal “Ben” Eaton recalled Friday. “It would be in the next few months that I would come out to family and friends as bisexual with all positive responses.”

While members of the community in Northeastern Pennsylvania and around the country have been celebrating that milestone, the anniversary also offered a chance to reflect on rights won, rights not yet won, and the struggle for equality and justice more widely.

“Obergefell was such an unexpected victory for LGBTQ+ couples and families because it came before so many other fundamental civil rights protections,” said John Dawe, 38, a Kingston resident and past chief executive of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance and Equality Pennsylvania.

Case in point: It wasn’t until earlier this month that the court ruled 6-3 that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination “because of sex,” includes gay and transgender employees.

And that is just one of many areas in which such protections had been lacking.

“Even though it’s an exciting time for progress, LGBTQ individuals families, and supporters still have much to do to be fully equal,” Dawe said.

Protections still lacking

Indeed, 25 states still have no explicit prohibitions for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and some loopholes remain.

Pennsylvania still has no comprehensive state anti-discrimination laws based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

But the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to almost all Pennsylvania employers with at least 15 employees.That means people who work for smaller businesses might not be protected. While the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) covers employers with at least four employees, as well as protections in housing and public accommodations the PHRA does not list sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. In 2018, however, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission released guidance that interpreted sex to include the broader protections.

Formalizing protections in state law has been a contentious issue, with Democrats largely in favor and Republicans — who control both chambers of the state Legislature — largely opposed.

In response, many activists took action at the local level. LGBT rights protections have been passed in 58 municipalities, including Wilkes-Barre and Pittston.

And Gov. Tom Wolf in 2016 signed an executive order banning discrimination against state workers and contractors who are LGBT.

Still, as Dawe pointed out, LGBTQ people are still left in uncomfortable limbo statewide.

“In fact, a same-sex couple could get married on Sunday, post on Facebook wedding pictures, and be evicted from their homes, denied access to a restaurant, and turned away from healthcare as a result,” he said.

Em Maloney, founder of grassroots organization Queer NEPA, stressed that the fight also must embrace people of color.

“The Obergefell ruling made by SCOTUS is definitely a historical landmark, but the fight for change doesn’t end until we have complete LGBTQ equality laws and laws combatting racial injustices that impact the Black community — especially trans people of color,” Maloney said.

Ongoing fears

In addition to protections not yet granted, some fear that opponents of same-sex marriage will continue the fight to reverse Obergefell.

“Marriage equality is still the law of the land and still continues to show positive impact in the community and society However, many worry that the rights will be taken away under different administrations,” said Laurel Run resident Justin Correll, who is a co-founder of the NEPA Pride Project and a NEPA Rainbow Alliance board member.

He sees a re-affirmation of those hard-fought rights in this month’s Supreme Court rulings, and added that the fight to ensure LGBTQ people of color are fully protected remains an ongoing battle.

As people from many races, many religions, and many identities, the community knows what it is to stand up for our inherent worth, one’s identity and to speak out against discrimination, harassment and violence. Countless times people and organizations have organized, agitated and taken action to demand institutional equity and respect for our lives,” Correll said.

“We remember it was Black trans women of color who led the riots at Stonewall, catalyzing a national movement,” he added, referencing the 1969 New York City clash that is seen as the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.

Correll noted that this June — Pride Month — has seen the LGBTQ community joining forces with Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

“Together we are taking action for reform and equality for all,” he said.

Maloney echoed that theme.

“I don’t worry that we’ll lose the right to same-sex marriage, but I do worry about people losing their life because of the color of their skin or for holding the hand of the person they love,” she said.

‘Base it on love’

Gay marriage became legal in Pennsylvania more than a year before Obergefell, when a federal judge in May 2014 ruled that the state’s 1996 ban on recognizing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

For Tony Brooks, that — and Obergefell — were watershed moments.

“Did I ever think it would happen? No. Not in my lifetime,” the Wilkes-Barre resident recalled Friday. “I didn’t think it would, but I’m certainly glad it did.”

Brooks and husband Matthew were among the first five same-sex couples to apply for a marriage license in Luzerne County. The greeting they received in the Luzerne County Courthouse when they went to fill out the application was, Brooks said, “tremendous.”

“The office applauded us,” he said.

As Brooks noted, he and Mattthew have been together 16 years, married in the eyes of their church for seven years, married by the state for six years and enjoying nationwide recognition of their marriage now for five years.

Brooks believes everyone is entitled to recognition of love and happiness such as he and his husband share, and believes that right is safe as attitudes shift broadly in favor.

“Wherever you are, wherever you live, people have three basic questions they need to address: What do you do? Where do you live? Who do you love?” he said, referring to work, housing and forming families.

“When you base it on love, how are you going to deny that right to anyone?” he asked.

Then, too, Brooks said he takes heart in this month’s Supreme Court decision, in which Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Neil Gorsuch sided with the court’s more liberal wing.

As Brooks said, he looks at the court not as a left-right partisan institution but as a body that often has rendered decisions that fly against prevailing political notions through rulings that have upheld or extended rights.

“I really look at it from the long-range point of view,” he said.

A moment to celebrate

Amid questions of law and justice, for many Obergefell remains a moment to celebrate personal victories.

“I struggled throughout high school and college with my sexuality. I was attracted to both men and women, which was something I would later come to find out was called bisexuality,” Eaton said.

“I remember sitting in my bed at night in tears telling myself, ‘I’m not gay, I’m not gay,’ because I was afraid of what that meant to my friends, to my family, and with my future. Ten years ago, 17- year-old me could not have imagined a future where I could live as openly as I do today,” he said.

“The light is at the end of the tunnel and we have now just taken a couple of steps closer, but we must continue walking, step-by-step, closer.”