Montco Gay Caucus on Supreme Court Hearings

from the inbox:

Montgomery County Gay Caucus (MCGC) stands firm in the support of equal protection for all and would work to oppose any local, state, or federal law which may codify discrimination.

On April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Obergefell v Hodges, a case originating in Ohio. This case has been consolidated with three other cases from Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee in order to consider two questions regarding marriage equality. The court will first consider whether states have the obligation to perform same-sex marriages, and then the court will hear arguments as to whether states are obligated to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

If the court decides that there is a constitutional right to marry and that states have an obligation to perform same-sex marriage, then marriage equality will finally become law of the land in all 50 states, although more narrow rulings are possible. A ruling is not expected until late June.

"We at MCGC are proud of the progress made in Montgomery County in taking steps towards true equality for all. The concern is that we become complacent and while members of our community can now marry, we still live in a state where those same couples can be fired from their job because of who they love." Lori Schreiber, founding member, goes on to say, "The concern with a positive outcome in the upcoming Supreme Court decision will be the mistaken belief that the LGBT community in PA has secured the same rights and protections as everyone else, when in fact that is not true.”

Although MCGC is confident that marriage equality will soon be the law of the land, concrete steps for equality are still needed. When contacted on the subject by the caucus, County Commissioner Josh Shapiro said, “In order to achieve full equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters, we need to end legal discrimination in Pennsylvania by passing HB 300.”  Therefore, MCGC is encouraging our local/county elected officials to show the world that you're standing on the right side of history by signing a proclamation calling on the PA State Legislature to finally pass that pending legislation (HB 300) to protect all people.

(A proclamation example is available at http://equalitypa.org/wp-content/uploads/equality_WOC_4-2015.pdf)

 With your help, there is still another battle to be won.

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The Montgomery County Gay Caucus seeks and provides campaign support to qualified LGTB candidate as well as allies who have demonstrated support for LGBT equality.