BATON ROUGE, LA — In honor of the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee has passed a resolution commemorating this landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that guaranteed the right to marry for same-sex couples nationwide.
This resolution, authored by DSCC Members Rustin Loyd, David Noe, Aaron Rogers, and Samantha Stanley, recognizes the courage of countless LGBTQ+ Americans who made this moment possible, and calls on the Louisiana Legislature to take the necessary steps to remove the now-unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution.
“Moments like Obergefell are more than legal victories—they’re moral ones,” said Randal Gaines, Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “They remind us that the arc of the moral universe does bend toward justice, but only when people stand up, speak out, and do the hard work of democracy.”
But as the resolution notes, the work is far from finished. LGBTQ+ Louisianans, especially those who also face systemic barriers related to race, gender, class, or disability, still contend with inequality and exclusion. The resolution urges Louisiana to align its constitution with its values, and ensure its laws reflect the dignity of every person.
“What this moment asks of us is simple,” said Rustin Loyd, one of the resolution’s authors. “To not just remember what Obergefell meant, but to live up to it. That means striking discriminatory language from our constitution and continuing to expand equality, not retreat from it.”
The Louisiana Democratic Party remains committed to building a state where everyone, no matter who they are or whom they love, can belong, contribute, and thrive. Because equality isn’t just a policy, it’s a promise. And it’s one worth keeping.
