The Council of Elders urges the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the challenge to marriage equality filed by Kim Davis.  Marriage laws are rooted in the necessity of providing an institutional basis for defining the fundamental relational rights and responsibilities of persons in organized society. They are a fundamental human right, as previously recognized by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.

Society benefits from providing same-sex couples a stable framework within which to raise their children and the power to make health care and end-of-life decisions for loved ones, just as it does when that framework is provided for opposite-sex couples.

Metropolitan Community Churches have challenged restricting this fundamental human right to heterosexuals almost from the very founding of our denomination in 1968. The Rite of Marriage is enshrined in our founding documents, and to deny the ability of our members to marry would fundamentally violate our right to religious liberty.

Millions of same-sex couples have been, are, and will continue to be married, leading exemplary lives and in many cases raising their children. MCC will not countenance discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons in any form. We wholeheartedly oppose the Court even considering this bogus challenge to the current law of the land. A challenge that has already been rejected by every court that has heard the case, including a previous decision of the Supreme Court not to hear the case on the merits.

We also write to affirm the power of our member churches and pastors to perform same-sex weddings as an integral part of our function as a religious body duly incorporated in the United States. Obergefell v. Hodges correctly articulated that “The nature of marriage is that, through its enduring bond, two persons together can find other freedoms, such as expression, intimacy, and spirituality. This is true for all persons, whatever their sexual orientation….  No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family.”

The Council of Elders and all of MCC will staunchly defend our right to marriage equality for all.