Gay glossy The Advocate has
named the Supreme Court's nine justices its “People of the Year.”
“In handing down its decision in
Obergefell v. Hodges – declaring marriage to be a
constitutionally protected right for same-sex couples – the court
immediately made the lives of millions better,” Mark Joseph Stern
wrote in the
magazine's cover story.
“[I]n an instant, gays ad lesbians
made an enormous step toward becoming equal citizens under the law.”
“[W]ith Obergefell, the
Supreme court wiped out dozens of discriminatory measures, scrubbing
away decades of antigay prejudice,” he added.
The inclusion of Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia, who wrote a scathing dissent in the case, is certain
to be controversial, but Stern argues that Scalia's writings make him
an “unexpected MVP for marriage equality advocates.”
“In Romer, Scalia suggested
the court may soon strike down sodomy bans. When the court proved him
right seven years later, Scalia noted that its reasoning 'leaves on
pretty shaky grounds state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex
couples.' Exactly 10 years later, the court invalidated the federal
Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor – and
Scalia threw a hissy fit, actually rewriting the opinion to
demonstrate how it would soon be used to strike down state-level
marriage bans. Two years later, in Obergefell, the court
proved him right,” Stern wrote.
Advocate editors faced a barrage
of criticism two years ago for naming Pope Francis their “Person Of
The Year.”
(Related: Pope
Francis poses for NOH8 Campaign in Advocate
cover.)