On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ruling of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that has given citizens of this country reproductive rights and bodily autonomy for nearly 50 years. In his concurring opinion to overturn Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas opined that the court should reexamine their previous rulings on contraception and same-sex marriage, opening up the possibility of Windsor v. United States, Obergefell v. Hodges and other Supreme Court decisions being overturned. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the LGBTQ+ community has been reeling, both because they are directly impacted by its repeal and because of what the implications could be mean for them down the line.

As a precautionary measure, in order to protect marriage equality before the issue is left up to the Supreme Court, two Democratic senators proposed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) (H.R. 8404). While the RFMA is important, the reality is that the bill is quite limited in scope and power.