Tomorrow will be a historical day in the history of the fight for equality for all LGBT Americans when we learn what nine people in black robes think about our relationships.
Today we learned that a slim majority, 5-4, of the Supremes feel our country is enjoying a time of post racial progress and, to quote many others, gutted the Voting Rights Act and essentially erased the work of so many people during the civil rights movement.
Who voted how was not surprising: voting against the Voting Rights Act were Chief Justice John G. Roberts, who delivered the majority opinion. Joining Roberts were Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a "fiery" dissent, and she was joined by Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Democrat, is now the third member of Congress from Georgia to speak out in favor of marriage equality for same-sex couples. Scott joins Reps. John Lewis and Hank Johnson, also Democrats from the Atlanta area.
"Congressman Scott fully supports marriage equality," stated an email from Scott's spokesperson received by gay blog Joe.My.God. yesterday.
The blog reached out to Scott's office after a reader said that he and his partner met with Scott and he told them he supported marriage equality.
You won't find many Georgia names among the 172 members of the U.S. House and 40 U.S. senators who signed a brief asking the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
The amicus brief was submitted March 1, signed by 212 senators and representatives — some 40 percent of the 535 voting Congress members, according to the LGBT blog New Civil Rights Movement.
The brief argues Section 3 of DOMA, which bars federal marriage rights to same-sex couples, "lacks a rational connection to any legitimate federal purpose, and is therefore unconstitutional."
The Human Rights Campaign today released its bi-annual Congressional Scorecard, a tracker of how members of Congress rate on issues of LGBT equality.
Maureen McCarthy of the HRC writes:
While the American people move forward on issues of equality, the majority of Congress – particularly the House – continues to be out of touch.
The average score of House members was 40 percent and 35 for Senators, down significantly from the 111th Congress.
In the House, 115 members scored 100 percent, including 33 from states with marriage equality and eight from states facing marriage-related ballot measures this November.