Statement: NEW Pride Agenda Responds to Rejection of Legal Bid to End Marriage Equality
Contact:
Max Schulman, max@anatgerstein.com, 347-861-4167
NEW Pride Agenda Responds to Rejection of Legal Bid to End Marriage Equality
Organization celebrated the reaffirmation of federal protections, urged vigilance and mobilization to protect hard-earned rights in New York
(November 10, 2025) –– The NEW Pride Agenda, New York State’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, issued the following statement from Executive Director Kei Williams in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of a request to consider overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, which codified marriage equality for same-sex couples:
“We are glad that the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected this extremist attempt to roll back the hard-fought right to same-sex marriage. The denial of this hateful legal action reaffirms the rights of 820,000 Americans who are in same-sex marriages, and protects that right for the millions of queer people who may wish to be married. LGBTQ+ people are taxpayers with equal citizenship under the law, and deserve equal protection under the law.
“But we must remain vigilant, because this challenge by far-right activists is just the latest in a coordinated effort to destroy federal protections for LGBTQ+ people and enable a state-by-state dismantling of civil rights. This campaign has already succeeded in front of this Supreme Court in Dobbs and Skrmetti, ending reproductive rights and restricting access to gender-affirming care in states across the nation.
“And here in New York, the scorched-earth campaign has gone local: Nassau County is actively fighting to establish a trans sports ban, and school districts on Long Island have moved to roll back protections for trans students. This compounds direct federal attacks against LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, from weaponizing hospital funding to end gender-affirming care to steep cuts to Medicaid, which covers 40% of adults living with HIV.
“The NEW Pride Agenda emerged from the legacy of the marriage equality movement, and our work fights to address the inequities left in its wake. We remain steadfast in our mission to mobilize LGBTQ+ people to fortify New York as a beacon for freedom against continued attacks.”
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