Grace Moreno knows her marriage is safe in Massachusetts, but fears there still could be consequences if gay marriage was ever struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“My wife and I started talking about what protections we need to get in place now, we won’t be protected in other parts of the country," Moreno said.
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The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ community that other rights -- like gay marriage -- could be the next to go.
Moreno, CEO of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, said it's clear to her the court might rollback of legal protections for gay relationships.
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“I think there’s a great deal of sadness and also a great deal of fear," Moreno said. “I think what is ahead is scary on many, many fronts, we need to be ready for that, what that looks like.”
While Justice Samuel Alito said in the court's majority opinion overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that it applied only to abortion, critics of the court's conservative majority discounted that statement.
In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should review other precedents, including its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, a 2003 decision striking down laws criminalizing gay sex and a 1965 decision declaring that married couples have a right to use contraception.
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“If you are a progressive, it’s going to be hard the next 20-25 years," Wellesley College Professor Nancy Scherer said.
Scherer, who teaches constitutional law, said it’s possible other rights like same-sex marriage could be at risk.
“I think the same thing could happen as is happening with abortion. So we’ll still have about half the states having abortions and half not," Scherer said. "I think the same thing could happen with same-sex marriage. It’ll be a blue state/red state, where is it legal, where isn’t it.”
