Surge In Same Sex Marriages Before Trump Takes Office
Image: Image: Frank Farrugia/Same Love Photography.
Reports are emerging from the US that LGBTQIA+ couples are rushing to the altar ahead of Trump’s reinauguration in January next year, over fears marriage equality could be banned.
The City Clerk’s office in New York recorded 8,537 marriage license appointments made in November 2024, the same month Trump was elected to his second term, marking a 33% increase compared to November 2023.
In the week following the election, 2,365 appointments for marriage licenses were made, a 55% increase compared to the weeks before. The number of appointments remained above average for the rest of the month, only returning to average in December.
Although the city doesn’t track the specific genders of those getting married, anecdotal evidence seems to be pointing in that direction.
“We already fought for it. I don’t want to have to do it again,” Ryan Addario told LGBTQ Nation as he left Lower Manhattan’s Marriage Bureau with his new husband. “I just didn’t want to have any potential obstacles.”
“We take care of ourselves”
In Iowa, Chaplain Anitta Milloro is connecting couples with wedding vendors that are prepared to provide free services for same sex weddings, and has helped dozens of couples tie the knot.
“There’s only so long that I can sit in suffering before I have to roll up my sleeves and do something,” Milloro told Des Moines news station KCCI. “We take care of ourselves. That’s what we’ve had to do, that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
Milloro has created an interactive map titled “For A Time Such As This”, which lists wedding essentials such as officiants and photographers, as well as those who can offer medical power of attorney, living will, and other notary services. Service providers can fill out an application to be featured on the site, with people in almost every state stepping up for their community.
Will we see marriage equality over ruled?
In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples could be married with Obergefell v. Hodges, though some fear that a conservative super-majority could overturn the landmark decision as they’ve done with Roe v. Wade. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have both criticised the ruling this year, with the latter citing concerns that those with “traditional religious views” could be branded bigots.
If the Supreme Court does overturn marriage equality, same sex couples are still somewhat protected thanks to the Respect for Marriage Act, enshrined by Biden in December 2022. This means that all federal and state governments must recognise same sex marriages performed in states where it’s legal, including Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York.
