Gay and Women's Rights are Won; Voting Rights Denied

By Desiaire Rickman on July 1, 2013

Human rights won out when the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, and democracy won out in Texas when its constituents raised their voices. If you were unable to witness history, here’s a run down of what was gained and what was lost in this historic week of politics.

Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA

Gay pride flags in front of the Supreme Court.

With a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court decided on June 26 that the 1996 Defense Of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, as it violated the Fifth Amendment. Same-sex marriages are now entitled to federal benefits that they were once denied under DOMA.

However, because the Supreme Court refused to decide on Proposition 8, legislation in California that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, gay marriage is only legal in 13 states (including California) and the District of Columbia. Gay couples in states where gay marriage isn’t legalized may not have access to the federal benefits that were gained with the fall of DOMA.

Gay marriage didn’t win on a national scale, so the remaining 37 states still haven’t legalized gay marriage. The Court’s decision leaves the defining of marriage to the states, so gay rights advocates still have their work cut out for them.

Despite this, a major victory was won for gay rights, and obstacles continue to fall as gay advocates get closer to their goal of marriage equality for all.

Wendy Davis Stands Against SB 5

If you were anywhere near Twitter last Tuesday, #StandWithWendy would have been one of your trending topics that probably filled up your timeline.

Texas Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, successfully conducted on June 25 a 13-hour filibuster against SB 5, an anti-abortion bill that would have restricted abortions to 20 weeks and dealt a heavy blow to abortion clinics in Texas.

Wendy Davis moments before the midnight deadline.

Even though Davis was forced to stop after 11 hours because she was accused of getting off-topic when discussing ultrasounds, SB 5 opponents stalled the voting process up until the last 15 minutes, which was then filled with screams and applause after Sen. Leticia van de Putte, D-San Antonio made this incredible remark: “At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room?” Considering what was being debated in the Texas Senate, it isn’t hard to understand why the protesters went wild.

The screaming continued after a remark was made that the voting wouldn’t continue until after order was re-established. Due to the efforts of Wendy Davis and the support of her constituents, SB 5 died because the voting didn’t take place before the midnight deadline.

Although it was a successful win for activists fighting for a woman’s right to choose, it didn’t take long before their opponents fought back. Texas Gov. Rick Perry made a statement the following day, saying that SB 5 would be revisited starting July 1. Even if it was a short-lived victory, Wendy Davis was able to fight against SB 5 and gained more supporters for women’s rights in Texas.

With the fall of DOMA and SB 5, minority groups were able to get several wins under their belts. Unfortunately, one notable Supreme Court decision may just have caused setbacks for other minorities.

Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act

On June 25, while Wendy Davis was fighting for women’s rights in Texas, the Supreme Court struck down, in a 5-4 ruling, the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which forced nine states to get advance federal approval before making changes to their election laws.

The Supreme Court was just respecting states’ rights, so what’s so bad about that? Well, considering the nine states were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, it is bad for civil rights in the states that made it hard for African-Americans, the poor, the elderly and other minorities to vote.

Texas didn’t waste any time, either. Immediately after the Court’s decision, Texas officials put into effect Voter ID laws and political maps that federal judges said discriminate against minorities. With the implementation of the voter identification laws, it will be required for every Texas citizen to have some form of identification in order to vote.

It may not be a problem for most Texans, but these laws severely disenfranchise individuals who cannot afford the costs of obtaining identification. If they are unable to get identification, these Texas citizens will not be allowed to vote— voter discrimination at its worst.

Despite the Court’s historic ruling concerning gay marriage, the people and principles protected by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have suffered a disservice because of this decision.

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