In two 5-4 rulings on Wednesday, the Supreme Court justices struck down a federal law that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman, and opened the door for same-sex marriages to resume in California.
While local gay rights activists say Wednesday was undeniably a historic day, they say much work remains to be done in Missouri.
AJ Bockelman, the executive director of PROMO, said the dual Supreme Court rulings mean that justice has been served for same-sex couples who got married in the 13 states and the District of Columbia where it’s legal.
But in Missouri, he said his group and others are fighting for something more basic.
“You can be fired from your job if you’re gay, you can be denied an apartment if you’re lesbian, and too often, transgendered individuals are denied access to services,” Bockelman said.
Opponents of same-sex marriage said the ruling does not change the immorality of such an arrangement.
In a video statement, the communications director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Katie Pesha, said the decisions do not alter the church’s definition of marriage.
“While the law can allow other things to be called marriage, it cannot make them into the kind of union that is marriage,” Pesha said.
In her own statement, Republican Congresswoman Ann Wagner said she believed in the “sanctity of traditional marriage,” and applauded Missouri voters for defining it as between a man and a woman.
Bockelman said it’s also not clear how same-sex couples who got married elsewhere and now live in Missouri will be affected, since the state bans gays and lesbians from getting married.