Can gay people get married in tennessee
Tennessee part in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage in 2015
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Dr. Sophy Jesty and Dr. Valeria Tanco, sharing a moment at their abode in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 11, 2015, met while at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and hold been together for four years. Although the couple had married while living in New York, the State of Tennessee treats them as if they are two unmarried women.
John Partipilo / The TennesseanSophy Jesty, left, and Valeria Tanco kiss their 1-year-old daughter, Emilia, at their home in Knoxville on April 11, 2015. The couple married in Fresh York in 2011, but the State of Tennessee treats them as if they are two unmarried women.
John Partipilo / The TennesseanSophy Jesty, left, and Valeria Tanco, who are plaintiffs in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that argues Tennessee should recognize their marriage as equal to heterosexual couples, share a moment with their daughter, Emilia, at their Knoxville house on April 11, 2015.
John Partipilo / The TennesseanValeria Tanco, left, Sophy Jesty and their friend and their attorney, Regina Lambert, play with Emilia, the couple first child, at th
Same-sex marriage, which the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 legalized nationwide in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, is facing resurgent hostility.
In the decade since the court’s decision, public support for same-sex marriage has increased. Currently, about 70% ofAmericans approve of legally identifying the marriages of gay couples, a 10-percentage-point bump from 2015.
Obergefell led to an increase in marriages among same-sex partners, with more than 700,000 lgbtq+ couples currently married.
Despite this, Republican lawmakers in five states have recently introduced symbolic bills calling on the Supreme Court to overturn its ruling in Obergefell.
And Republican lawmakers in two states own proposed legislation that creates a new category of marriage, called “covenant marriage,” that is reserved for one man and one woman.
As a professor of legal studies, I believe such attacks on same-sex marriage represent a serious threat to the institution.
And others share my concern.
A 2024 poll of married same-sex couples initiate that 54% of respondents are worried that the Supreme Court might overturn Obergefell, with only 17% saying they did not anticipate such a challe
How the historic fight for marriage equality came together in Tennessee 10 years ago
The world was swirling around Thomas Kostura 10 years ago.
Kostura, whose Unused York marriage had not been recognized when his husband was stationed in Tennessee, was in the middle of the most important U.S. Supreme Court case for gay rights in the country’s history.
“It was basically this hurricane going on around us, and we were courteous of in the eye of the storm,” he said. “It was a whirlwind.”
On June 26, 2015, the nation’s highest court legalized marriage equality nationwide, proclaiming that the Constitution grants same-sex couples the right to marry.
Tennessee was at the center of it all.
How Tennessee wound up in the clash for gay marriage
The landmark case featured plaintiffs from four different states, one of which was Tennessee. The success of Tennessee's case came from plan and a little luck.
Abby Rubenfeld, a prolific civil rights attorney in Nashville who has fought for the LGBTQ+ community for decades, was the architect of the case.
Photos: Nashville Pride was 'euphoric' after 2015 gay marriage rulingFuture: Gay rights feel 'at risk' to Tennesseans who championed marriaElected officials in Tennessee can now refuse to wed same-sex couples under novel law
Tennessee is no stranger to lawsuits over same-sex marriage, and it could be on the receiving end of another soon. That’s after a new law was signed by Gov. Bill Lee, allowing wedding officiants to refuse to solemnize a marriage if they don’t want to.
More:A prepare to discriminate against queer marriages in Tennessee would’ve made child marriage legal. It’s now expected to be amended.
While the wording of the bill is not striking, it could create a way for LGBTQ couples to hold their fundamental right to marry denied.
The bill language
In Tennessee, pastors and other religious leaders can solemnize a marriage. But the list also includes judges, current and former elected officials, and the governor.
By federal law, religious leaders are the only ones on the list allowed to refuse to wed someone. The new express law gives that power to current and former elected officials.
Chris Sanders, the director of Tennessee Equality, believes the law doesn’t hold a chance of standing because
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