Hello, Friends,
As a fully queer run and aligned publisher, with our anthology – We Bite Back – fully supporting Human Rights Campaign, I need to speak on news that just came out about the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration in revisiting marriage equality and who can get married.
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider whether to hear a challenge that could reopen the question of who can get married. The challenge to marriage equality is being brought by Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who in 2015 defied a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
As SCOTUSblog reports, the justices will privately discuss Davis’s petition on November 7. Davis, who was briefly jailed a decade ago after citing “God’s authority” in refusing to issue licenses to a gay couple, is now asking the high court not only to reverse her loss in the lower courts but to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that established a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples nationwide.
A Gallup poll from May 2024 found that 69 percent of U.S. adults support legal same-sex marriage—close to the record high of 71 percent. Sixty-four percent said same-sex relations are morally acceptable. Support remains strongest among Democrats at 83 percent and independents at 74 percent, while only 46 percent of Republicans back marriage equality, reflecting the enduring partisan divide.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit rejected Davis’s claim that her refusal was protected by religious freedom, ruling that she acted as a government official, not a private citizen. A jury had previously awarded $50,000 each to the couple, David Moore and David Ermold, who were denied a license.
According to SCOTUSblog, if the justices decline to take up the case, that decision could be announced as soon as November 10. But if they agree to hear it, the case would mark the court’s most direct confrontation with Obergefell in years and a potentially seismic moment for LGBTQ+ rights in the post-Roe judicial era.
Human Rights Campaign has been, and continues to, fight for our queer community here in the US. But with recent news and events, they are in need of more funding now than ever. Our anthology, We Bite Back, fully supports their organization.
We are working as hard as we can to get the new edition out, including a new introduction by me, a piece of my own, resources, and fully edited editions of all pieces included.
Until then, all purchases of the original edition from here on out will include a digital edition of the new copy when it is released. Just email me at sage@pridewithabite.com with proof of purchase, and I will send it to you.
If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone. Crisis & general resources are available through my mental health organization for queer folx and can be found below if you need them.
Please know that you are not alone. We will always be fighting for you, and all of us.
Sage Moon
Editor-in-Chief of Pride with a Bite
Pride with a Bite 