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# US Supreme Court justice attacks marriage equality
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/us-supreme-court-justice-attacks-marriage-equality/
- Published: 2020-11-16T13:13:43.000Z
- Updated: 2020-11-16T11:11:58.000Z
- Description: On Thursday November 12, associate justice Samuel Alito of the US Supreme Court attacked LGBTQ+ marriage equality in a speech addressing the far-right Federalist Society group.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Politics, Amy Coney Barrett, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+ rights, Marriage equality, Same Sex Marriage, US Elections, US SUpreme Court

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/samuel-alito-1.jpg)

Samuel Alito

On **Thursday November 12**, associate justice **Samuel Alito** of the **US** Supreme Court attacked LGBTQ+ marriage equality in a speech addressing the far-right Federalist Society group. He suggested marriage equality is at odds with the rights of non-LGBTQ+ groups, saying it is an attack on ‘freedom of speech’. According to [**The Guardian**](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/nov/13/justice-samuel-alito-supreme-court-liberty?ref=scenemag.co.uk), Alito said: “You can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Until very recently, that’s what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now it’s considered bigotry.”

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/us-lgbt-1-1.jpg)

Earlier this year, Alito and fellow conversative **Clarence Thomas** urged the Supreme Court to readdress their marriage equality policies on the grounds of religious freedom. They argued: “\[LGBTQ+ marriage equality\] *enables courts and governments to brand religious adherents who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as bigots.”* On Thursday, he reiterated: *“Those who cling to old beliefs…risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers and schools.”*

Alito’s attack on marriage equality is the latest instance of the Supreme Court leaning towards ‘religious freedom’ at the expense of LGBTQ+ equality. Newly appointed justice, **Amy Coney Barrett**, is known for her controversial views on the LGBTQ+ community, with Barrett and the court showing sympathy towards a Catholic fostering agency which refuses to work with same-sex couples in a [recent case](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/update-barrett-and-supreme-court-lean-towards-catholic-agency-in-lgbtq-foster-parents-case/). Many are fearful this case is the beginning of the court eroding LGBTQ+ rights in favour of anti-queer religious groups.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/judgeamyconeybarrett-1-1.jpg)

Amy Coney Barrett