At a meeting this week in Dallas, Texas, attendees of the Sothern Baptist Convention passed a resolution calling for a ban on same-sex marriage in the U.S. This year marks a decade since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for same-sex marriages nationwide.
KRLD 1080 reported that 10,000 Southern Baptist delegates gathered at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the Southern Baptist meeting. In addition to calling for the Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 Obergefell v.
Hodges decision, the group called on the permanent defunding of Planned Parenthood.
According to its website, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) “is a body of like-minded local churches,” that includes more than 50,000 churches and church-type missions, including some “mega-churches.” They believe that “the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, with His ultimate revelation being the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ.”
Per the Associated Press, the group represents the nation’s largest Protestant Christian denomination.
Since 2012, Gallup polling has shown that at least half of Americans believe that same-sex marriage should be recognized the same as different-sex marriages. As of last month, 68% of Americans believe that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages.
Following the 2015 ruling expanding same-sex marriage access, research has indicated that it has had a positive impact on both queer and straight couples.
According to research released last year by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, “many married same-sex couples surveyed said marriage improved their sense of safety and security (83%), life satisfaction (75%), and relationship stability (67%).” A report issued by RAND and UCLA last year also found that over the more than 20 years that same-sex marriage has been available at certain places in the U.S. there have been no negative impacts on marriage, divorce, or cohabitation among different-sex couples.
“In addition, the few significant effects observed by new analyses of the issue suggest a slight increase in overall marriage rates and provide some evidence of improved attitudes toward marriage among young people in states after same-sex couples were granted legal status,” said RAND.
In 2022, Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which “replaced provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals that is valid under state law.”
Despite overwhelming support from the public and the work of both the Supreme Court and Congress to ensure same-sex couples are able to enter into valid marriages, there are still concerns about whether that access will continue to be available in the U.S. In its report last year, the Williams Institute noted that about 80% of the couples surveyed were very (41%) or somewhat (38%) concerned that the Obergefell decision would be overturned and a quarter had taken steps to protect themselves and their families, including considering moving out of the U.S
After conservative-leaning Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade abortion protections in a move that went against public opinion, concerns about Obergefell potentially being overturned increased. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas even hinted that he wanted the court to reconsider the case.