10 years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, affirming the freedom to marry for same-sex couples nationwide. Last night, LGBTQ+ advocates and community members gathered in Birmingham, Alabama to celebrate this anniversary. We were honored to host the event alongside Central Alabama Pride and Alabama Equality. Throughout the night, we heard from a diverse slate of speakers–all of whom have been personally impacted by the freedom to marry, and many of whom were directly involved in the fight for marriage equality, both in Alabama and nationally. Read a bit more about our speakers and their remarks last night below.
Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality
Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara opened the event, speaking on the importance of hope in this moment when things in our country are incredibly difficult. For Beach-Ferrara and so many others in the room last night, remembering the hard-fought win of marriage equality – a fight she was directly involved with in North Carolina – brings hope that the LGBTQ+ rights movement can overcome the challenges it faces today, specifically the attacks on the transgender community and transgender youth health.
Evan Wolfson, Founder of Freedom to Marry and 2025 recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal
Evan Wolfson, who spearheaded the national fight for marriage equality through his work at Freedom to Marry, spoke about where we are now, 10 years later. While bipartisan support for the freedom to marry remains strong, he advocated that we must continue to build on what we have won– that means fighting for employment and housing protections for LGBTQ+ folks, protecting transgender people from attacks, and protecting democracy at large. He states that advocates must look to the freedom to marry fight for strategies that can bring folks who are still on the fence to the side of LGBTQ+ equality.
Shante Wolfe, Co-Chair, Alabama Equality
Next, our emcee Shante Wolfe, Co-Chair of Alabama Equality shared about being part of one of the first same-sex couples to be married in Alabama. She says that while the movement for LGBTQ+ rights learned a lot from the fight for marriage equality, it is up to us to connect with LGBTQ+ youth who were not around for that fight and are facing immense challenges ahead with the current attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, transgender rights in particular.
Mark B. Moore, Business Owner and Advocate
Next, we heard from Mark B. Moore, one of the many people who has benefited from the marriage equality decision. Mark shared a bit about his love story with us, including the difficulty his partner and some members of his family had with embracing their love and marriage. His story resonated deeply with many in the audience who have faced similar struggles. The love Mark feels for his husband and his joy about finding his happily ever after was palpable and infectious.
Rev. Laura Hutchinson, Pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Laura Hutchinson, pastor of First Christian Church in Anniston, AL, spoke honestly on some Christians’ failure to embrace, love, and accept LGBTQ+ people, and the trauma that has caused for many. She spoke on her journey to embracing marriage for same-sex couples, and her experience marrying folks in the LGBTQ+ community, including several couples in the audience. She honed in on the importance of marriage under the law, and in the eyes of the Church, for many same-sex Christian couples, and her hopes for a future where all Christian denominations embrace the LGBTQ+ community.
Michael Rudolph, U.S. Marine Corps. Veteran, social worker, husband to AL Rep. Neil Rafferty
In a powerful address directed at his mother in the audience, Michael shared his experience growing up as a closeted gay person in Alabama. A member of the U.S. Marine Corps., Michael served under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell with his now husband, Alabama State Representative Neil Rafferty. When Michael made the decision to come out, his mother was one of his biggest supporters. Today, he and his husband are strong LGBTQ+ rights advocates. Michael carries his experience with him everyday working as a youth social worker in Birmingham, and his husband is on the frontlines of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the Alabama state legislature.
Rev. Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey, LGBTQ+ advocate, community and faith leader
Rev. Carmarion Anderson-Harvey of the United Church of Christ spoke passionately about the importance of marriage for same-sex couples, while also calling us to pour our collective energy into the fight for the rights we do not yet have, especially rights for transgender people, which are under attack right now. She says: “While we can legally marry, the truth is, many systems are still not designed for us. We are getting married in a world that still criminalizes our joy. We are building families in spaces that were not built for our kind of love. But here’s the Amen part– because you know I’m going to take you to church– we’re doing it anyway.”
Doug Jones, former U.S. Senator from Alabama
Finally, we heard from former U.S. Senator Doug Jones about the movement for marriage equality in Alabama and nationally. Jones gave us his insight into the fight on the state level, and his fight to pass the Equality Act during his term as Senator. For Jones, the fight is personal, as he is the proud father of a gay son. Throughout his speech, Jones emphasized the importance of applying what we have learned from the fight for marriage equality to our continued fight for LGBTQ+ rights, and all human rights, today.
Thank you so much to everyone who joined us last night in Birmingham– and happy anniversary of the freedom to marry to all! For more on the event, check out our social media pages (Instagram, Bluesky, X, and Facebook) @SouthernEquality.
