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White Plains LGBT Center Wants Marriage Equality From High Court

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Staff and volunteers at the LOFT, a White Plains LGBT community center, wore red Tuesday in a show of support for marriage equality as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of a 2008 ballot proposition that banned same-sex marriage in California.

LOFT Vice President Jean Marie Angelo marches in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning, where the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of Proposition 8.

LOFT Vice President Jean Marie Angelo marches in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning, where the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of Proposition 8.

Photo Credit: The Loft
LOFT Vice President Jean Marie Angelo marches in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning in support of marriage equality.

LOFT Vice President Jean Marie Angelo marches in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning in support of marriage equality.

Photo Credit: The Loft
Scott Havelka (left) and Al Raymond (right) of the LOFT, a White Plains LGBT community center, talk to Deaconess Darlene DiDomineck of Memorial United Methodist Church about the same-sex marriage cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Scott Havelka (left) and Al Raymond (right) of the LOFT, a White Plains LGBT community center, talk to Deaconess Darlene DiDomineck of Memorial United Methodist Church about the same-sex marriage cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Photo Credit: The Loft

The high court met for one hour Tuesday morning to talk about Proposition 8. On Wednesday, the nine justices will consider the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, a 1996 law that denies benefits from the federal government to same-sex couples, including those legally married in their home states.

LOFT Vice President Jean Marie Angelo marched Tuesday in Washington, D.C., outside the Capitol where a hearing took place in support of overturning Proposition 8. She told her colleague Scott Havelka that more than 250 people were lined up outside the building at 4 a.m.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, LOFT staff, volunteers and members will join U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey for a news conference in support of overturning both DOMA and Proposition 8, said Havelka, director of programs and services at the LOFT. 

“The hope is the Supreme Court realizes that gay and lesbian couples need the protection and benefits that come with marriage,” said David Juhren, executive director of the LOFT.

The LOFT is housed in Memorial United Methodist Church in White Plains and advocates for marriage equality and the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in the church and in the eyes of the law, said Deaconess Darlene DiDomineck.

“My personal stance is that all persons should be viewed equally under the law. And that if my marriage to a Jewish man should be legal then anyone’s marriage should be legal as well,” DiDomineck said. “We believe as a congregation here at Memorial United Methodist that God loves all of God's children equally, no matter who they are, who they love, or where they come from, or what language they speak, or the color of their skin, or anything.”

At the Supreme Court, lawyers Tuesday asked the justices to uphold Proposition 8, arguing that the debate belongs at the state level. But the Supreme Court’s conservative and liberal justices seemed split on the issue, according to the Los Angeles Times. Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested overturning it but also said he was concerned that such a ruling could be interpreted too broadly and might make same-sex marriage legal nationally. But upholding it, he said, could do real harm to children being raised by same-sex couples in California.

The four most conservative justices opposed the idea of same-sex marriage outright, the L.A. Times reported. Justice Samuel Alito urged caution before making a ruling that would redefine marriage. Justice Antonin Scalia said same-sex marriage is not a constitutional right.

Listen to or read the full Supreme Court transcript at the Los Angeles Times website

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