The Supreme Court’s ruling overturning abortion rights on June 24 prompted a wave of warnings from LGBTQ members of Congress and national queer groups after Justice Clarence Thomas used his concurring opinion to threaten rulings on marriage equality, sodomy, and contraception.
Thomas, a longtime foe of LGBTQ rights, expressed his own desire to see the court take aim at the queer community as he called on fellow justices to “reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.” Griswold v. Connecticut struck down a state law banning contraceptives, Lawrence v. Texas established the right to have gay sex, and Obergefell v. Hodges brought same-sex marriage nationwide.