In dissenting opinion Justice John 
Roberts argued justices have the 
responsibility to determine what the 
law is, not what the law should be. This 
argument said states have the right 
to determine for themselves within 
those legislative bodies whether or not 
same-sex marriage is legal.
Key to Kennedy’s decision in favor 
of same-sex marriage was consider-
ation of the evolution of marriage, in 
addition to a recognition of its history.
“The 
centrality 
of 
marriage 
to the human condition makes it 
unsurprising that the institution 
has existed for millennia and across 
civilizations,” Kennedy wrote. “The 
petitioners acknowledge this his-
tory but contend that these cases 
cannot end there. Far from seeking 
to devalue marriage, the petition-
ers seek it for themselves because 
of their respect—and need—for its 
privileges and responsibilities. And 
their immutable nature dictates that 
same-sex marriage is their only real 
path to this profound commitment.”
Outside the courthouse, onlook-
ers erupted with cheers when the 
decision was released.
Following 
their 
excitement, 
there was a moment of silence until 
shortly thereafter the Washington 
D.C. Gay Men’s choir, standing in 
the back, began to sing a verse of the 
Star Spangled Banner. “USA” chants 
started filling the crowd.
That festive atmosphere remained 
at the Court for the hours after the 
decision, with hundreds of people 
still gathered two hours after the 
decision was announced, waving 
flags and breaking out into sponta-
neous cheers, as the men’s choir kept 
singing intermittently.
Stu Maddux, a resident of San 
Francisco California, was one of 

many people gathered outside the 
Court Friday morning. He and oth-
ers in attendance traveled long dis-
tances across the nation to witness 
this historic decision.
“We came in from California just 
to be here for this,” Maddux said. 
“We cried. We got married when 
Prop 8 was repealed, but to be out 
here for this, it feels even more 
affirming. It really can’t be taken 
away now.”
John Michael Eclar, a D.C. resi-
dent, said achieving marriage equal-
ity and gaining large amounts of 
support was unimaginable, charac-
terizing the event as surreal.
“Marriage equality across the 
nation is a thing I didn’t think I 
would see in my lifetime. Growing 
up in Virginia, where I was this...
really insecure awkward person 
where in my upbringing I thought 
that being gay was a sin and it was 
something that I couldn’t accept 
personally,” Eclar said. “And as I was 
growing up, and the way the country 
was evolving, it was just amazing to 
see how supportive everybody start-
ed to become.”
Justin Quam, also a D.C. resi-
dent, said he too was in awe of the 
Court’s ruling.
“I’m just amazed that we’re here 
to see it,” Quam said. “I remember a 
couple of years ago, I made a bet with 
my brother of when marriage equal-
ity would be the law of the land, and 
I bet him it would be before 2020. 
And even at the time, I thought I was 
going to lose that bet for sure.”
Joe Goldma, a D.C. resident, said 
having moved to D.C. from Texas, he 
feels relieved to be able to celebrate 
and enjoy a sense of community he 
never experienced before. Goldma, 
who was dressed up as U.S. Supreme 
Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 
said he chose the outfit in honor of 
Ginsburg’s perseverance.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to 

overcome a lot of obstacles to get 
where she is, whether it was in her 
advocacy, as an advocate lawyer and 
of course as a judge,” Goldma said. 
“And for me it’s sort of inspiration, 
to continue to push and break those 
glass ceilings, to be the person that I 
want to be.”
Conor Rogers, a D.C. resident 
who went to the Court to hear the 
decision with his partner, said the 
Court’s ruling is one that will go 
down in history.
“This is the kind of thing that 
your kids will read in textbooks, and 
they’ll be like, where were you when 
it happened?” Rogers said. “And so 
to be literally here is kind of amaz-
ing.If you went back in time and told 
me when I was fifteen years old, I’d 
be surprised,” Rogers said. “But I 
think as time went on, I think people 
knew this was inevitable, whether it 

was by the Court or by the vote.”
Al Gerhardstein, attorney for lead 
plaintiff Jim Obergefell, also par-
ticipated in celebrations outside the 
court. He said the court’s decision 
carried much emotional weight.
“It’s all very exciting, and it’s also 
very personal...in the bar section 
in the courtroom I was listening to 
all these otherwise jaded lawyers 
weep,” he said. “And I’m among it. I 
mean, it’s that profound that you can 
do nothing other than emote, when 
you realise what’s going on.”
Gerhardstein said though there 
may be more complications to face 
in the future, today was a victory 
worth celebrating.
“I don’t know how that’ll fare,” he 
said. “I haven’t even read the deci-
sion yet, so I don’t know where the 
loopholes are, that they’re going to 
be hunting for. So that’s tomorrow. 

Today is champagne.”
Justices were considering sev-
eral cases that challenged same-sex 
marriage bans in Kentucky, Ohio, 
Tennessee and Michigan, which 
were consolidated under the name 
Obergefell v. Hodges. Opening argu-
ments for the case began in April.
Michigan’s case, DeBoer v. Sny-
der, began in January 2012 when 
Michigan residents April DeBoer 
and Jayne Rowse filed a lawsuit in 
the U.S. District Court, challeng-
ing Michigan’s ban on adoption by 
same-sex couples.
DeBoer and Rowse separately 
adopted one son and two daugh-
ters, respectively, but were unable to 
jointly adopt their children because 
Michigan does not recognize same-

3

Thursday, July 2, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com NEWS

Debbie Dingell holds long-term care dialogue 

Talk sets the stage 
for upcoming White 
House conference

By LARA MOEHLMAN

Summer Managing News Editor

Congresswoman Debbie Ding-
ell (MI–12) met with a group of 
senior citizens Monday morning 
at the Pittsfield Township Senior 
Center to facilitate a dialogue on 
the long-term care system in the 
U.S.

The discussion was one of sev-
eral hosted by Dingell before the 
upcoming White House Confer-
ence on Aging held in Washington 
D.C. in July.
Monday’s 
discussion, 
which 
garnered a packed crowd at the 
Senior Center, was particularly 
relevant following the Supreme 
Court’s recent decision to uphold 
the Affordable Care Act, which 
Dingell said does not address the 
issue of long-term care.
“I’m very glad last week that the 
Supreme Court ruled the way they 
did on the Affordable Care Act,” 

Dingell said during the discussion. 
“It’s not a perfect bill– we can keep 
working to get it fixed, but the fact 
of the matter is, is that it does not 
do very much for long-term care or 
do anything for seniors, and we’ve 
got to keep working on that.”
The Dingell family has been 
involved in health care reform 
throughout 
history. 
Dingell’s 
husband, John Dingell, was an 
original author of the Affordable 
Care Act, which President Obama 
signed into law in 2010. John 
Dingell’s father, the late John 
Dingell Sr., also introduced a bill 

in congress to provide national 
health insurance every year he 
was in the House until his passing 
in 1955.
Dingell herself introduced the 
Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage 
Act of 2015 and has also released 
a Long-term Care Guidebook, 
which provides resources for resi-
dents of Southeast Michigan deal-
ing with long-term health issues.
Dingell said the current long-
term care system in Michigan is 
a maze of unintegrated systems 
that are difficult to navigate and 
that are not designed to be helpful. 

She also said she is particularly 
focused on long-term care reform 
because it is an issue she is cur-
rently dealing with herself, citing 
her husband’s recent health issues.
“I say to everybody I’m on a 
journey myself,” she said. “It’s 
been a rough year. I’m not gonna 
lie to you, and it’s one of the rea-
sons that I’m really focused on 
these issues– because I’ve been 
living a lot of these issues myself,” 
said Dingell.
Dingell also stressed her disap-
pointment with Medicare’s failure 

See DINGELL, Page 8

MARRIAGE
From Page 1

ALEXANDRIA BODFISH/Daily
Ann Arbor residents talk about the issues black people in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti face today at the Black Lives Matter 
Community Barbecue on Saturday.

BL ACK LIVES M AT TE R

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

