“We Are Praying for Equality”
CLGS Statement on Oral Arguments for Same-Sex Marriage

PRESS RELEASE PDF
(Berkeley, CA | April 28, 2015)

“We are praying for equality today as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on same sex marriage. There are many churches and synagogues that treat all couples—straight, lesbian, and gay—the same when it comes to marriage and long for the day when those relationships are treated equally under US law,” stated Dr. Bernard Schlager, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Pacific School of Religion and Executive Director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS). By upholding the rights of couples to be married, the Supreme Court would make it possible for clergy who affirm same sex marriages to sign marriage licenses while fully protecting the rights of those who chose not to do so.

“I’ve officiated at many wedding ceremonies over the last 25 years, for all kinds of couples,” commented Rev. Dr. Justin Tanis, CLGS’s Managing Director. “When a couple comes to me to be married, I look for love, a mature commitment, and a healthy desire to help each other thrive as a couple united in a commitment of love; these matter much more in marriage than the gender of your partner. But couples also benefit from legal support, like the right to visit your partner in the hospital and the right to inherit the home you share.”

CLGS stands with the lawyers and advocates who have worked so hard to achieve equality for same-gender couples in our country and applauds the courage of all the couples who have come forward to seek equality treatment under the law.

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