Is Marriage Equality the next Roe v. Wade? - September Conversation

How Supreme Court rulings impact military life

After Roe v. Wade was overturned many military families and service members stationed in states with restrictive abortion bans struggled to access needed care. The military attempted to do its part to create pathways to care by offering services on installations or approving travel. However, the overturning of this foundational ruling begs the question, what about marriage equality? Will military spouses be spouses one day and roommates the next? Will benefits be turned off if a service member resides in a state with a gay marriage ban? How will this impact recruitment and retention?

The landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.

Roe v. Wade was overturned after being the law of the land for nearly 50 years (original ruling = 1973; overturned in 2022). Obergefell is less than 10 years old. Is it also at risk of being overturned?

In this Conversation, I hope to hear from LGBTQ+ families about what they are hearing, thinking and feeling. Are LGBTQ+ military families worried? Is this impacting their desire to serve? Will they avoid taking orders in certain states?

This Conversation is also open to anyone who wants to share about how the overturning of Roe v. Wade has impacted them.

Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Session 1: 12 Noon EST

Session 2: 8 pm EST

Let’s talk about the things we don’t talk about.

Host: Jennifer Barnhill

Guest: Cathy Marcello, Deputy Director at Modern Military Association of America (MMAA)

Register and share with others in the community!

All about Cathy

Cathy Marcello is the Deputy Director at the Modern Military Association of America (MMAA), the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to advancing fairness and equality for the LGBTQ+ military, veteran, HIV+ communities and their families. Cathy is an army brat and veteran spouse and has been advocating for LGBTQ+ youth since her own child transitioned 15 years ago. Her family spent those years pioneering military systems that had yet to develop protocols for transgender military youth. She now leads the MilPride program at MMAA that includes hundreds of military families like her own and has been instrumental in advocating for LGBTQ+ youth in military families within the Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill. She has a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology and lives in Washington, DC.