Yuma PFLAG president: More work needs to be done

PFLAG Yuma President Jody Michaud called the the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday a longoverdue victory.

“It is a great day, but there is still a lot more work that still needs to be done,” Michaud said. “We still have to work for acceptance.”

Michaud said while the decision is another step in the direction of equality there are many other legal protections that still need to be put into place before complete equality can be reached.

PFLAG stands for Parents, family members, and friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and “questioning.”

Congresswoman Martha McSally:

“This debate belongs at the state level and was already settled in the courts for Arizona. I will respect the Supreme Court’s decision. We should ensure equal rights and religious liberty are protected, while showing respect for each other about sincerely held disagreements.”

Gov. Doug Ducey:

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is an impactful one. There are people of good will and good faith on both sides of this debate, and my hope is that all Arizonans will engage constructively as we comply with the requirements of the law based on this ruling.”

Congressman Trent Franks:

“The 14th Amendment indeed guarantees every person equal protection under the laws. However, the supreme irony, in this instance, is that by one vote the Court misconstrued and distorted the supreme law of the land, the Constitution itself. It is vital for the American people to understand that their choice of presidents in elections now primarily dictates whether we will have judges who will honor or betray their sworn oath to support, defend, and bear true faith and allegiance to the United States Constitution.”

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick:

“With this historic ruling, our nation embraces all its citizens. This day is long overdue for many Americans, but now we can look forward to a future in which marriage equality is not limited to a piecemeal approach. It is the law of the land.” State Senate Majority Leadership (Andy Biggs, Steve Yarbrough, Gail Griffin):

“Today’s 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to redefine marriage is an affront to the millions of Americans who believe marriage is between a man and a woman. The ruling strips away the voices of the majority who have supported traditional marriage. Those citizens have now been silenced because of the opinion of five justices, who have ignored the Constitution and decided that in this democratic republic, they should define marriage, and not the people and their elected representatives.”

State Senate Democratic Leader Katie Hobbs:

“Marriage is about love, commitment and family, qualities that are not exclusive to just a man and a woman. And America is about freedom, a quality that, despite what many opponents claim, is not infringed upon by this ruling. From this day forward freedom for every American is stronger than ever. Even with this ruling there is still much to be done to achieve true equality in Arizona where it is still legal to be fired because of your sexual preference. We won’t stop until every law that discriminates against LGBT Arizonans is struck from the books.”

Rep. Victoria Steele:

“In many places in our state, it is still legal to fire someone for being gay. It is still legal to discriminate against people based on who they are and whom they love. And that needs to change.”

State Rep. Bob Thorpe:

“It amazes me that a simple majority, 5 out of the 9 unelected Supreme Court justices, can invalidate the constitutional marriage laws and amendments passed by numerous sovereign states and millions of U.S. citizens across the nation, including 1.2 million Arizonans who passed our state Constitutional marriage amendment in 2008.”

President Barack Obama:

“Our nation was founded on a bedrock principle that we are all created equal. The project of each generation is to bridge the meaning of those founding words with the realities of changing times – a never-ending quest to ensure those words ring true for every single American. Progress on this journey often comes in small increments, sometimes two steps forward, one step back, propelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens. And then sometimes, there are days like this when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.”