JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The right to same-sex marriage and same-sex intimacy could be in jeopardy following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade on Friday.
Now that states can set their own laws on abortion, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wants the high court to revisit and overrule same-sex marriage.
While people who attended the Proud to Say Gay Rally Saturday wanted to enjoy being supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, they also felt apprehensive because they knew what could potentially be facing in their future.
Some took Thomas’ desire to overrule same-sex marriage and same-sex intimacy as a threat while others said they did not know what they’ll do next.
“I am scared, and I’ve never been so scared for our country in my life,” Robert Abbott said standing next to his husband.
Thomas and his husband have been married for six years, and it was a precedent-breaking decision to overturn Roe V. Wade that made Abbott worry about their future.
“We feel like the Supreme Court will be gearing for us next,” Abbott said.
Other rally participants called Thomas’ efforts to overturn “not fair.”
“It worried me because people always said Roe V. Wade is going to stay. It’s precedent and then it was able to be taken away because of the way the current majority is in the court. Obergefell v. Hodges isn’t something that’s going to be guaranteed either. It’s a precedent that was set way more recently than Roe V Wade,” Ferraro said.
“We’re supposed to be living in a free country to have the right to be able to do what we want to do and have the personal autonomy right and these are being infringed upon,” Colleen Glary said.
Abbott said he normally doesn’t attend events like the Proud to Say Gay Rally, but now he is realizing the importance of getting more involved.
“Maybe it’s not too late,” Abbott said. “We were making such great progress in the last few years and it’s been taken away so fast that I can’t even keep up with it. It scared me.”
“As a homosexual, I just feel like I want to be able to grow up and marry who I truly love and who I want to be with. I don’t want that to be decided by someone who’s higher of power than I am,” Dante Giannini said.