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December 10, 1924 - Formation of the Society for Human Rights

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December 10, 1924 - Formation of the Society for Human Rights

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In Chicago in 1924, the Society for Human Rights was established by Henry Gerber. On December 24, 1924 it was given an official charter from Illinois. It is the oldest recorded homosexual organization in the United States. The purpose of the society was to ensure and protect individuals' right to happiness and the freedom of being true to their sexuality. Soon after its creation, it split apart because Gerber was arrested for the publication of the "Friendship and Freedom" newsletter. After being released from jail, he continued to write publications about accepting homosexuality. To this day he is known as the forefather of the Gay Rights Movement.

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The Society for Human Rights was established in Chicago in 1924. The non-profit organization, on December 24, 1924, was granted an official Charter from the State of Illinois. According to The Legacy Project, that is what makes it "the oldest documented homosexual organization in the nation" (The Legacy Project). In the Society's charter, it is mentioned how its purpose was to: "[T]o promote and protect the interests of people who by reasons of mental and physical abnormalities are abused and hindered in the legal pursuit of happiness which is guaranteed them by the Declaration of Independence and to combat the public prejudices against them by dissemination of factors according to modern science among intellectuals of mature age. The Society stands only for law and order; it is in harmony with any and all general laws insofar as they protect the rights of others, and does in no manner recommend any acts in violation of present laws nor advocate any manner inimical to the public welfare" (The Legacy Project).

A year after The Society for Human Rights was created, it disbanded because Henry Gerber, the founder and important figure in the history of LGBT rights, got arrested after the publication of the Society's second newsletter, Friendship and Freedom. Gerber today is known for being the forefather of the United States gay movement and was inspired by Germany's Doctor Magnus Hirschfeld and his work with the Scientific Humanitarian Committee. He was originally born in 1892 in Bavaria, Germany, and in 1913, he moved to the United States. In 1917, Gerber joined the United States armed forces and continued as part of the German occupation force through 1923. When becoming familiar with the German group Bund fur Menshenrecht (Society for Human Rights), that is when he tried to establish a similar group in Chicago.

After signing the charter for The Society for Human Rights in 1924, Gerber started Friendship and Freedom, the first American publication for homosexuals. He was able to publish two issues before being shut down by the local police in 1925, a few sheer months after being officially charted by the State of Illinois. Members of the group, Gerber included, were arrested on '"obscenity charges, the result of a tip provided by one of the members' wives" (National Park Service). Eventually, the charges were dropped but the legal fees bankrupted Gerber. While Gerber's case was dismissed, his arrest cost him everything, from his life savings, his job at the post office, and everything he had to The Society for Human Rights. The group was forced to disband before it could embark on a mission to promote tolerance and understanding of homosexuality. In the brief time of the group's existence and its small size, the Society for Human Rights, today is a precursor to the modern gay liberation movement that would not come around until around three decades later.

In 1927, he decided to reenlist for the armed forces and was posted that Fort Jay on Governors Island where he continued to write about homosexuality for several publications. Around 1930-1939, he published the periodical as a conduit for pen-pal correspondence, but also discreetly to provide a means for gay men to make connections. Not just that, he wrote several articles for the 1934 publication Chanticleer in which he defended homosexuality. During his time at Fort Jay, he got harassed and suffered beatings and blackmail only because he was gay (National Park Service). For several weeks in 1942, Gerber was held in the guardhouse at Castle Williams, and "no evidence of illegal behavior was found" (National Park Service). Although nothing was ever found, he still stayed in Castle Williams weeks after the search. Despite that, he continued with his Army career until eventually retiring in New York City with an honorable discharge in 1945. Throughout the 1950s, at a distance, he worked for the Mattachine Society in New York and the ONE Magazine. He continued by sharing his story and writing, "inspiring the movement that would eventually lead to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which catalyzed the growth of the gay rights movement nationwide" (National Park Service). Gerber's legacy continues in the movement today for LGBT rights and serves as a reminder that Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill will never stop the LGBT community from doing everything in their power to fight for what Gerber once said in , a monthly gay magazine, "I realized this start was dead wrong, but after all, movements always start small... It would probably take long years to develop into anything worthwhile. Yet I was willing to slave and suffer and risk losing my job and savings and even my liberty for the ideal" (wttw

Related Links:

Ramey, Marcus. "The Stonewall Riots, The Stonewall Uprising, The Stonewall Rebellion, or Simply, Stonewall." COVE, https://editions.covecollective.org/chronologies/stonewall-riots-stonewall-uprising-stonewall-rebellion-or-simply-stonewall.

Works Cited:

Francis, Meredith. "The Chicagoan Who Founded the Earliest Gay Rights Group in America." , 26 June 2019,

https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2019/06/26/henry-gerber .

Herman, Kimberly A. "Henry Gerber House National Historic Landmark." National Park Service,

https://www.nps.gov/articles/henry-gerber-house-national-historic-landmark.htm .

"LGBT History on Governors Island." National Park Service , 26 February 2015,

https://www.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/henry-gerber.htm .

"The Society for Human Rights." The Legacy Project ,

https://legacyprojectchicago.org/milestone/society-human-rights#:~:text=The%20Society%20for%20Human%20Rights%2C%20established%20in%20Chicago%20in%201924,homosexual%20organization%20in%20the%20nation .

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Henry Gerber and The Society for Human Rights

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The Society for Human Rights was established in Chicago in 1924. The non-profit organization, on December 24, 1924, was granted an official Charter from the State of Illinois. According to The Legacy Project, that is what makes it "the oldest documented homosexual organization in the nation" (The Legacy Project).

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September 21, 1955 - Daughter of Bilitis forms

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September 21, 1955 - Daughter of Bilitis forms

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The Daughters of Bilitis was considered to be one of the first lesbian organizations invented, and provided the community with a sanctuary from the homophobia of the time they lived in. At first, there were few opportunities for the club to meet as individuals were wary of lesbians, and that affected the discrimination presented against them. Early in the DOB, conflicting views led to some of their original founders leaving the DOB. In October of 1956, the DOB published their first article issue of The Ladder, which is the first lesbian serial in America, but it ceased publication in 1972. This caused unrest within the group, but in the end, chapters of the DOB continued on. The DOB is credited with many achievements, placed lesbian rights onto the civil rights agenda, and facilitated, along with set an example for, generations of lesbians to come.

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Table of Contents

Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), one of the first lesbian organizations to be established. Founded in San Francisco in 1955, the organization took its name from a collection of poems written by Pierre Louÿs called Songs of Bilitis. Bilitis was a female character who was romantically associated with Sappho, the female Greek lyric poet.

When DOB was established, there were few opportunities for lesbians to meet, and lesbians were subject to discrimination and public hostility. The organization began as a small, secret social club for lesbians, starting with just eight members. Among the founding members of DOB were Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who would become well-known lesbian rights activists. During the late 1950s other DOB chapters were founded across America and in Australia too, although membership numbers remained relatively small.

Early in the development of DOB, its role and membership criteria came under scrutiny by its members. Conflicting views led some of the original founding members to leave DOB. Those changes contributed to redefining DOB as a political organization focused on lesbian rights, rather than as a purely social organization. That was a radical development, given the social stigma of homosexuality at the time.

In October 1956 DOB published the first issue of The Ladder, edited by Lyon, initially under the pen name Ann Ferguson. The Ladder is usually regarded as the first lesbian serial in America, although a short-lived publication titled Vice Versa had existed in the late 1940s. The Ladder ceased publication in 1972, following the 1970 secret takeover of the magazine by its editor, Barbara Grier, and the DOB national president at the time, Rita LaPorte, both of whom favoured a stronger lesbian feminist stance than that which the DOB generally advocated. That event reflected one of the core tensions that surrounded DOB: whether it should align itself with male-dominated gay rights groups, such as its ally the Mattachine Society, or whether it should identify itself with lesbian separatist feminists. Those conflicting perspectives led to DOB's dissolution of its national organization in the 1970s, although local chapters persisted after that for several years.

Although it was plagued by tensions that reflected the difficult and politically loaded social climate, DOB is credited with numerous achievements. Socially, DOB facilitated one of the first opportunities for lesbians to meet and share their everyday struggles. Politically, DOB began the long quest to achieve visibility and acceptance for lesbians and to place lesbian rights on the civil rights agenda.

Rebecca Barnes

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Daughters of Bilitis | American organization

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Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), one of the first lesbian organizations to be established. Founded in San Francisco in 1955, the organization took its name from a collection of poems written by Pierre Louÿs called Songs of Bilitis. Bilitis was a female character who was romantically associated with Sappho, the female Greek lyric poet.

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January 13, 1958 - First time the U.S Supreme Court rules in favor of Homosexuals

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January 13, 1958 - First time the U.S Supreme Court rules in favor of Homosexuals

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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a magazine published about homosexuality was atrocious/cruel and would not be protected by the right to freedom of speech. The conflict occurred when Otto K. Olesen ordered that The Homosexual Magazine should be seized and said that it was filthy and unacceptable. The publisher thought this violated a right, and so the debate began. The lower court ruled against the publisher, as they claimed the article was meant to invoke gay feelings in individuals, as it was obscene. The circuit court also thought the same thing. However, the supreme court reversed this, and sided with the publisher, making this a key turning point in America's history with the LGBTQ+ community.

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One, Inc. v. Olesen (9th Cir. 1957) ruled that a homosexual magazine was obscene and not constitutionally protected under the First Amendment rights of free speech and press

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June 28, 1970 - America's First Gay Pride Parade

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June 28, 1970 - America's First Gay Pride Parade

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1970- the year of NYC's first ever Pride March and "Gay In." It attracted thousands of people, and occurred at the one year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The group was led by Craig Rodwell, an organizer of the annual Fourth of July Reminder Day from 1965 to 1969. These protests highlighted the lack of LGBTQ rights in the USA. On July 4, 1969 the last Reminder Day occurred, which was only a day post-Stonewall uprising. There was no conservative dress code, like in the past, which meant Stonewall had already changed things. At the annual Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO) in Philadelphia, on November 2, 1969, a solution was discovered with help from Rodwell, which altered the foundations of gay rights for many generations.

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Washington Place, west of Sixth Avenue

overview

New York City's first ever Pride March was held on Sunday, June 28, 1970 (the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising), and, much to the organizers' surprise, attracted thousands of participants.

Known at the time as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, the route began on Washington Place between Sheridan Square and Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village, moved north up Sixth Avenue, and ended with a "Gay-In" in Central Park's Sheep Meadow.

History

At the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising on Sunday, June 28, 1970, a group headed by Craig Rodwell, owner of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, led what became the first annual NYC Pride March (then known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March). Rodwell had been an organizer of the annual Fourth of July Reminder Day demonstrations in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, from 1965 to 1969. Among the earliest significant LGBT protests in the United States, these were held to highlight the community's lack of basic civil rights.

The last Reminder Day took place on July 4, 1969, only one day after the end of the Stonewall uprising. Rodwell chartered a bus of younger people from New York, who joined the Philadelphia demonstration but did not adhere to the strict conservative dress code, nor did they follow the "orderly" rules of conduct of previous years. It was clear that the events at Stonewall had already changed things. In October, in Rodwell's and his boyfriend Fred Sargeant's apartment at 350 Bleecker Street, meetings were held to discuss an action to replace the Reminder Days. In attendance were Ellen Broidy, Linda Rhodes, and other members of the newly formed Gay Liberation Front, and activist Foster Gunnison, Jr.

At the final annual Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO) in Philadelphia, on November 2, 1969, the following resolution was proposed on behalf of Rodwell, representing the Homophile Youth Movement, and Broidy, of NYU's Student Homophile League: "That the Annual Reminder, in order to be more relevant, reach a greater number of people, and encompass the ideas and ideals of the larger struggle in which we are engaged - that of our fundamental human rights - be moved both in time and location." It continued:

We propose that a demonstration be held annually on the last Saturday in June in New York City to commemorate the 1969 spontaneous demonstrations on Christopher Street and this demonstration be called CHRISTOPHER STREET LIBERATION DAY.

November 2, 1969 resolution

Finally: "No dress or age regulations shall be made for this demonstration. We also propose that we contact Homophile organizations throughout the country and suggest that they hold parallel demonstrations on that day. We propose a nationwide show of support."

All at the meeting voted in favor except for Mattachine Society of New York, which abstained. The march ended up taking place on a Sunday, June 28, so that more people could participate. The marchers first gathered on Washington Place between Sheridan Square and Sixth Avenue. From Greenwich Village they followed a route up Sixth Avenue to Central Park, where the march ended with a "Gay-In" in the Sheep Meadow. This incredibly brave, for the time, public march ended up attracting thousands of participants, much to the surprise of the organizers. As historian Lillian Faderman commented, "Never in history had so many gay and lesbian people come together in one place and for a common endeavor." The annual March contributed greatly to solidifying the significance of Stonewall in LGBT history.

Sources

1. David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004).

2. Donn Teal, The Gay Militants (New York: Stein & Day, 1971).

3. Fred Sargeant, "1970: A First-Person Account of the First Gay Pride March," The Village Voice, June 22, 2010.

4. Lilli Vincenz, "Gay and Proud" video, June 28, 1970.

5. Lillian Faderman, The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015).

6. Will Kohler, "June 28, 1970 - From Liberation to Pride: The 45th Anniversary of the Christopher Street Liberation Day March," back2stonewall.com, June 28, 2015.

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Washington Place, west of Sixth Avenue New York City's first ever Pride March was held on Sunday, June 28, 1970 (the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising), and, much to the organizers' surprise, attracted thousands of participants.

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January, 1974 - Kathy Kozachenko (The first openly gay American) elected to Public Office

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January, 1974 - Kathy Kozachenko (The first openly gay American) elected to Public Office

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The Hall of Fame houses LGBTQ activists and supporters in order to honor them for their affect on LGBTQ political history. Before Kathy was elected 3 other people, who had a much higher status than her, were. She is extremely honored and happy to be elected. Kathy says it took a lot of hard work and support. When she ran in 1974, she was a creative writing student. In 1974, she was elected by Ann Arbor. Her actions forced others to change their mind on allowing LGBTQ people and place in office. Even though she isn't in politics today, she is still a social justice activist helping to open up the country's consciousness and fight for change.

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On May 2, The Victory Institute inducted 21 leaders to its newly formed LGBTQ Victory Hall of Fame.

The intention behind the Hall of Fame is "to honor the LGBTQ elected officials, appointed officials and candidates who made a lasting impact on LGBTQ political history," according to a press release.

"The launch of this Hall of Fame is an opportunity to ensure their contributions are forever remembered and to honor the future leaders who will advance representation for our community," Chris Abele, Chair of the One Victory Board of Directors said in a statement.

Included in this first round of inductees are high-profile people you've likely heard of like former U.S. House member Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), Harvey Milk and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin who will be inducted as a Lifetime Achievement honoree.

And then there's Kathy Kozachenko. While not as widely known as, say, Harry Milk, Kozachenko served on the Ann Arbor City Council from 1974 to 1976 and is the first out LGBTQ+ person ever elected in the U.S.

"It was definitely an honor," Kozachenko tells BTL about being included in the LGBTQ Victory Hall of Fame. "I'm very humble about the part that I played as far as where the LGBTQ community is today. It took many actions, many voices, many people standing up and being open for us to be where we are today."

When she ran for office in 1974, Kozachenko was a 21-year-old creative writing student studying poetry at the University of Michigan. She won against a Democrat while running as a member of the local Human Rights Party, which is now defunct. HRP focused on issues like workers' rights, gay rights and racial justice. Where the Democratic Party uses a donkey and the Republican Party uses an elephant, HRP used a hippopotamus.

Ann Arbor in 1974 was uniquely primed to elect Kozachenko.

According to Bloomberg News, "Six months before her election, two City Council members also from the Human Rights Party simultaneously acknowledged their sexual orientations at a council meeting. Jerry DeGrieck and Nancy Wechsler, both then U-M graduates, were the first people anywhere to come out while holding public office."

Ann Arbor has long been considered a progressive city, but three openly gay members of a city council was unprecedented anywhere in the country. Still, this feat garnered little attention then or through the decades.

In 2015 Kozachenko told Bloomberg News, "Well, yeah, I felt left out, because I am particularly proud of the fact that it was a third party and not the Democratic Party that elected the first gay person."

Bloomberg also excerpted part of her acceptance speech including this declaration: "Ten years ago, or even three years ago, lesbianism would have meant automatic defeat. This year we talked about rent control. We talked about the city's budget. We talked about police priorities, and we had a record of action to run on. Many people's attitudes about gayness are still far from healthy, but my campaign forced some people at least to reexamine their prejudices and stereotypes."

Kozachenko served only one term on the city council. Later she went on to live a life dedicated to her partner and their son.

"People have asked why I'm not still in politics," she says. "I was really never in politics. I was a part of a social justice movement and running for office and elections was one part of how we wanted to share our ideas and make change. I'm still very much a social justice activist even though I'm not someone who is into party politics per se."

Still, she is proud of what she did, recognizing in retrospect that it was historic.

"I think we've made enormous progress in opening the country's consciousness to the fact that there are many ways of living, there are many ways of loving, there are many ways of expressing who we are," she says. "It's not 'Leave It to Beaver' or 'The Partridge Family.' Cookie-cutter families are not who everyone is in this country."

There is, however, much more to do.

"We have so, so far to go in so many things," she says, noting that the lack of affordable housing, egregious income disparity and institutional racism are huge problems in the U.S.

She also points to the fact that people often have much more in common than they might think with those who are different than them.

"We've got to somehow communicate with each other so we see our commonality," she says. "And that doesn't mean giving people a pass when they say something offensive or inappropriate. It means having discussions with people in an attempt to communicate and be able to open people's hearts and minds."

And speaking of hearts and minds, Kozachenko still writes poetry.

"Not as much as I used to," she says. "Actually, one of the things I'm very much looking forward to as I retire is doing more of that."

When asked what she would tell her 21-year-old self, Kozachenko pauses for a long moment.

"I would just say, 'Keep going. Don't ever forget who you are. You've been this person since way before you were elected and you're going to be this person when you're in your 60s and 70s, so do your best to fight for change and social justice, but be kind to yourself, too."

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First Openly LGBTQ+ Elected Official, Michigander Kathy Kozachenko, Inducted Into LGBTQ Victory Hall of Fame

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On May 2, The Victory Institute inducted 21 leaders to its newly formed LGBTQ Victory Hall of Fame. The intention behind the Hall of Fame is "to honor the LGBTQ elected officials, appointed officials and candidates who made a lasting impact on LGBTQ political history," according to a press release.

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July 8, 1980 - The Democratic Party becomes the first to endorse a platform for Homosexual Rights

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July 8, 1980 - The Democratic Party becomes the first to endorse a platform for Homosexual Rights

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The Democratic party is trying to reel in homosexual votes. Homosexuals have a positive and possibly negative impact on voting, but they still make up a large portion of voters. Many members of the government are facing issues and/or discrimination relating to the homosexual acts they've performed. Democrats claimed that 1984 was going to be a different year. While some senators/congressmen agreed to this action, it took a little more effort to convince others. Homosexual organizations and groups met and while it took a while as well as lots of hard work for it to happen, the Democratic Party was in favor of homosexuals.

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Phil Gailey, Special To the New York Times

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DEMOCRATS SEEK HOMOSEXUALS’ VOTES (Published 1983)

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May 20, 1996 - Supreme Court declares Colorado's 2nd Amendment unconstitutional

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May 20, 1996 - Supreme Court declares Colorado's 2nd Amendment unconstitutional

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The cause of this conflict was when people were trying to determine if a constitutional amendment prohibiting protection of the LGBTQ from discrimination violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. This helped determine what the fundamental rights for people of different sexualities were. In 1992, Colorado signed a law prohibiting giving LGBTQ members a protected status. This affected their ability to equally take part in political matters. It was ultimately decided that homosexual people are a group of people and they can't control who they are attracted to as well as their feelings. The Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional saying it violated the Equal Protection Clause.

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September 21, 1996 - President Clinton signs the Defense of Act Marriage into law

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September 21, 1996 - President Clinton signs the Defense of Act Marriage into law

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DOMA was a federal law passed by the U.S. that served the purpose of defining what marriage and protecting that set idea of it. DOMA defined marriage as the union between 1 man and 1 woman. Additionally, states weren't allowed to acknowledge/recognize same-sex marriage. This law prevented same-sex couples from having some of the same benefits (such as federal protection) as opposite-sex couples. States now banned same-sex marriage completely. Some saw the positives of allowing same-sex marriage, while others only focused on the negatives and how these would affect family formation. In 2013, the Supreme Court finally deemed DOMA unjust. This gave homosexual couples the right to marry.

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November 18, 2003 - Massachusetts becomes the first state to permit gay marriage (Goodridge v. The Department of Public Health)

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November 18, 2003 - Massachusetts becomes the first state to permit gay marriage (Goodridge v. The Department of Public Health)

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On November 18, 2003, Goodridge v. The Department of Public Health won a ruling in the Massachusetts Supreme Court. This stated that LGBTQ couples could no longer be denied civil marriage rights in Massachusetts. Next year, the Supreme Court establishes its Opinions of the Justices to the Senate. This explained that a civil union bill didn't meet the requirements of fairness and justice of the state constitution. This event further supported and reconfirmed the ruling in Goodridge v. Dept of Public Health. Marriage is an event between any people who show love and commitment of each other. It is a personal choice and a given right, so states shouldn't be allowed any power over it.

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Goodridge et al. v. Dept. Public Health - GLAD

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In a historic opinion on November 18, 2003, GLAD won a ruling from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that gay and lesbian couples can no longer be

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June 26, 2015 - U.S Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states 

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June 26, 2015 - U.S Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states 

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Obergefell v. Hodges was a court case which stated that all state bans on same-sex marriage and recognizing it are unconstitutional. This allowed for same-sex marriage to be legal in all 50 states. This court case focused on bringing justice to 2 main questions/issues. These questions were regarding recognizing same-sex marriage and allowing it. The 14th amendment and Supreme Court were very strict on the 1 man and 1 woman definition of marriage. The people of the lower court disagreed with this, complained, and were given the case Obergefell v. Hodges. The two questions asked were proven through due process and the equal protection clause. This ultimately led to the court allowing same-sex couples to have the fundamental right of marriage. Many justices and people supported this new decision.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

Obergefell v. Hodges, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) on June 26, 2015, that state bans on same-sex marriage and on recognizing same-sex marriages duly performed in other jurisdictions are unconstitutional under the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The two questions presented by the case-the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans (the "marriage question") and the constitutionality of bans on recognizing same-sex marriages (the "recognition" question)-were among various issues jointly presented in several related cases heard by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in August 2014. In a single opinion issued in November, the panel held (2-1), among other things, that the Fourteenth Amendment as well as the Supreme Court's own precedents were not inconsistent with state laws and constitutional amendments that defined marriage as a legal relation between one man and one woman only or that denied legal effect to same-sex marriages performed out-of-state. The plaintiffs in the cases immediately filed for certiorari with the Supreme Court, which was granted in a consolidated case, Obergefell v. Hodges, in January 2015, limited to the marriage and recognition questions. Oral arguments were heard on April 28.

Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy asserted that the right to marry is a fundamental right "inherent in the liberty of the person" and is therefore protected by the due process clause, which prohibits the states from depriving any person of "life, liberty, or property without due process of law." By virtue of the close connection between liberty and equality, the marriage right is also guaranteed by the equal protection clause, which forbids the states from "deny[ing] to any person...the equal protection of the laws." Kennedy then argued at length that "the reasons marriage is fundamental," including its connection with individual liberty, "apply with equal force to same-sex couples." Such considerations, he concluded, compel the court to hold that "same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry." His opinion was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor. The lead dissenting opinion was written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and joined by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, both of whom also wrote their own dissents, as did Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Mindy Johnston.

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Obergefell v. Hodges | Summary, History, Ruling, & Facts

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Obergefell v. Hodges, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) on June 26, 2015, that state bans on same-sex marriage and on recognizing same-sex marriages duly performed in other jurisdictions are unconstitutional under due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.