COMMENTARY: I live in New Mexico but happened to be traveling through Washington, D.C. during the last few days while the U.S. Supreme Court was in session.
I have followed the battle for marriage equality for years. I witnessed one of the county clerk cases in New Mexico regarding the issuing of marriage licenses. Having many gay friends, I have supported marriage equality for a long time.
I went to the Supreme Court on Thursday to see what was happening. The three demonstrators in this photo were the only ones there. I wondered how they would react when the decision came down.
Amy Storey
People exercising their right to express differing beliefs about same-sex marriage on Thursday, the day before the U.S. Court legalized such unions nationwide.
It was really hot. They seemed exhausted.
The next morning, I jumped in a cab and got to the Court just as the news was breaking about the decision. As I got out, I rushed into the crowd of supporters, and it was like entering a human cloud of happiness.
Hundreds of people were jumping up and down and hugging, cheering, laughing and crying. People’s eyes were big. Some of the older folks were saying they could not believe it, while younger types were yelling triumphantly about winning.
Some people were stunned, seemed just sort of unsure about how to react. Some of them then shook their heads and started whistling, clapping, or even howling!
There were a lot of gay-rights groups there, along with the ACLU and other political organizations such as local Democrats. I looked around for the anti-gay groups, but they seemed to have disappeared. This made me feel a little safer, as I had been worrying about the possibility of an angry response.
Some of the group’s leaders rushed down to the national media area for interviews, while some of the more independent reporters weaved through the crowd, getting interviews. There were a lot of tears of joy, so people had to compose themselves before being on camera. The litigants from the case started coming down the big stairs from the Supreme Court, and a massive roar came up from the crowd. A chant of “Love has won!” started up, and the litigants waved and cheered along with the crowd.
The Gay Men’s Chorus formed a circle and began singing “America The Beautiful,” and the crowd quieted to listen. It was quite touching. More tears flowed — even mine.
As I walked around, I heard conversations about where everyone was going later to celebrate, and some couples were discussing wedding plans. I thought about my gay friends, and how they must have been feeling.
Courtesy photo
The author, Amy Storey, posing with a drag queen paying homage to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on Friday.
I called my friend Steve in California. He went though the whole Proposition 8 fight in California and is married to his husband Randy. He could hear the crowd whooping it up. We talked about how this historical decision made life better for so many people.
I will never forget what is was like to be there, feeling completely immersed in human joy and waves of love.
Amy Storey is a mother to two boys and lives in Los Alamos. She is an active Democrat and just wrote her first play, “Mandatory Birth Control.” Her alter ego, Trixie ConQueso, can be seen performing in Las Vegas, Nev., in September at Jeff McBride’s “WonderGround” show.