The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia which was handed down 44 years ago on June 12, 2011, stands as a lasting indictment of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Supreme Court which had upheld Virginia racist ban on interracial marriage. Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell, Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli and the so-called Marshall-Newman amendment to Virginia's constitution are proof that some in the state have learned little over the the past 44 years. Indeed, prejudice and bigotry remain official state policy and the religious based beliefs of a few are granted special rights over the freedoms of other citizens. It's a shameful legacy, but it is all too typical of Virginia. Jonathan Capehart has a brief column in the Washington Post that looks at the situation nearly 40 years later:
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Truth be told, the original defense of marriage occurred on June 12, 1967. That’s when the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that two people, no matter their race, should be legally allowed to marry. In a stirring video tribute to the landmark case released by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Ted Olson and David Boies, the conservative-liberal tag team fighting to overturn California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in the state constitution, pay homage to Richard and Mildred Loving and use their powerful example — and Mrs. Loving’s own words — to make the case for legalizing same-sex marriage.
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As Loving said on the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, “I believe all Americans, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. . . . I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.” Thankfully, more and more Americans agree with her. Now, we just have to get the courts to.
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Truth be told, the original defense of marriage occurred on June 12, 1967. That’s when the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that two people, no matter their race, should be legally allowed to marry. In a stirring video tribute to the landmark case released by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Ted Olson and David Boies, the conservative-liberal tag team fighting to overturn California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in the state constitution, pay homage to Richard and Mildred Loving and use their powerful example — and Mrs. Loving’s own words — to make the case for legalizing same-sex marriage.
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As Loving said on the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, “I believe all Americans, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. . . . I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.” Thankfully, more and more Americans agree with her. Now, we just have to get the courts to.
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