Fayetteville’s Pride Parade couldn’t have had better timing.
A storm-carrying cold front yesterday left behind absolutely flawless weather for today. And you might have heard yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states’ same-sex marriage bans cannot stand under the 14th Amendment’s command of equal treatment by the law.
“No longer may this liberty be denied,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority decision. “No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”
I’d say the parade itself was two or three times as big this year as last, with people of every age and rainbow flags in every direction; organizers say more than 2,000 people attended, a record.
Friday’s ruling means two non-related adults of any gender can legally commit themselves to each other and enjoy such rights and responsibilities as jointly filed taxes, shared child custody and unquestioned hospital visitation, medical and familial rights. As Kennedy said, it also means something a bit more intangible, right? The joy among the decision’s supporters was immediate here in Arkansas and across the country.
Concern, anger, even fear quickly followed as well. The four dissenting Supreme Court justices gave grave warnings the ruling would be used to “vilify” the people who oppose same-sex marriage for religious and moral reasons, and other writers and public figures took up the alarm.
Their words and feelings are very serious, as is much of the history around issues of sexuality. For much of U.S. history, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and otherwise non-straight people have been bashed, killed, rooted out of government and private-sector jobs and kicked out of families, if they dared reveal themselves at all. These problems are less common, but they remain in some form, despite credible research that finds orientation isn’t consciously chosen.
Many conservative Christians (many Christians support the decision) see themselves as having lost some of their sway over policies like civil marriage as more and more people personally know someone who isn’t straight. The Supreme Court decision essentially says religious objections alone aren’t enough to justify public government’s marriage policies.
The U.S. is still mostly Christian, and discrimination based on religion in business or government is explicitly illegal except in limited circumstances. That’s not true in most states for LGBT people, including in Arkansas.
Anyway, on with the photos.
I hope it was a happy and love-filled day for you, wherever you stand. Thanks for looking!
Dan
This volcanic-looking slope is in Devil’s Den — where I’ve been a dozen times, yeah, but a few friends and I ventured to somewhere new last Sunday, farther past the overlook and into the cliffs than I’ve gone before.
I’ve been thinking recently about how easy it is to do, taking a new direction. No particular reason for the thought; work and life’s going fine, and Lord knows there’s lots of news going on to cover. But what if I decided to try making a living with photography? What if I ran for public office? What could happen? Maybe nothing. Several years ago I walked into an Omaha gallery and store for Thomas Mangelsen, one of many nature photographers these days who carry Ansel Adams’ torch. It was a beautiful place, and the idea of doing that for a career has floated in my brain since. But I don’t know. The idea of different paths is fun but scary.
The water was heavy again in the park because of that Friday storm. Cool, gushing, beautiful water had bent over trees and washed a small parking lot away. Just another summer in the forest.
Thanks for looking, and as a character in one of my favorite TV shows said, keep your brains open to the possibilities.
Viewfinder 