WASHINGTON – On the 46^th anniversary of the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision from the Supreme Court, today the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is calling on the Court to once again expand freedom for Americans by striking down bans on marriage for lesbian and gay couples as well as the Defense of Marriage Act.  HRC President Chad Griffin released the following statement:

“Forty-six years ago today, a couple named Loving reminded the country what love is all about. Thanks to their commitment to one another and to justice, the Supreme Court struck down each and every ban on interracial marriage across the country.

“In that historic decision, the Court unanimously declared that ‘under our constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state.’ Just days before the Supreme Court is set to rule on new landmark cases, the question is now ‘Why not a person of the same gender, too?’”

In 2007, on the 40^th anniversary of the Loving decision, plaintiff Mildred Loving released a statement declaring her support for marriage equality for gay and lesbian Americans. Ms. Loving passed away in 2008, but HRC and all Americans remember with pride her and her husband’s legacy of expanding equality for all.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

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