Community Corner
Gay Rights Advocates Rally as Court Overturns DOMA
Gathering held roadside in Water Mill in front of Incarnation Lutheran Church.
More than a dozen gay rights supporters gathered for a rally in Water Mill on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.
Held at Incarnation Lutheran Church, the demonstration celebrated the court's decision that same-sex married couples are entitled to the same federal rights as opposite-sex married couples.
The "Decision Day" demonstration was scheduled in solidarity with rallies across the country, in a movement dubbed "United for Marriage."
When the rally was planned, however, it was still not known what decision the court would hand down and whether the event would be a joyous one or a call to redouble efforts to fight DOMA.
"At least on a federal level, my marriage is now equal to my parents' marriage," said the Rev. Dr. Katrina Foster, who is the pastor of Incarnation Lutheran Church and Amagansett's St. Michael's Lutheran Church.
In an interview during the rally, Foster noted that though the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of equal rights for same-sex couples, there are still 36 states where couples do not enjoy those rights on the state level.
"We still have a lot of work to do to challenge those states where my marriage is not recognized as legal, or even as existing," Foster said. "So, we are not there yet. And we are also reminding ourselves and others that yesterday's decision by the Supreme Court to remove protections for the voting rights of all people is a tragedy and that our Congress needs to act to create a new formula that is expansive and correct and will guarantee the rights off all people to equal participation in our democratic process."
