Commentary: Rejoicing in love’s victory
In a landmark civil-rights decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage that can’t be denied by state laws. The following is a reaction from the Rev. Sarah Halverson, pastor of Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa.
Fifteen years ago, I was just out of college organizing with my home church, then the Irvine United Church of Christ (now Irvine United Congregational Church), against Proposition 22, a nearly invisible ballot measure buried in a March election that sought, and succeeded, to limit marriage to a man and a woman. We Christians were a small voice against a Goliath of opposition, largely from within our own religion. We lost miserably.
Eight years later, I was two years into my pastorate at Fairview Community Church. We had just become an open, welcoming and affirming congregation of both the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ, and Prop. 22 was challenged and deemed unconstitutional in California. That opened what would become a small window of time when marriage equality was available to gays and lesbians within our state borders, and our church rejoiced.
We quickly joined forces with allies and organized to fight Proposition 8, a 2008 initiative that read that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
I can’t begin to describe the emotion and energy that grew surrounding that proposition. We fought, we marched, we phone-banked and we prayed a lot. Tears were shed and deep bonds made as we found one another on street corners and church halls fed on the belief that love would conquer all. When Election Day came, the culmination of our efforts resulted in a devastating denial of rights.
But Goliath no longer seemed impenetrable.
Our hearts may have broken, but we had found strength in one another and we were not invisible anymore. Here in Orange County, something amazing happened post-Proposition 8: A community was born out of pain and hope. Our defeat did not paralyze us; instead, our grief unified us and our faith in our inevitable win strengthened.
The Orange County Equality Coalition emerged, OC Pride returned with new leadership and energy, The Center OC strengthened its scope and outreach, and an encouraging sentiment of solidarity and community was felt throughout.
All along, voices of faith girded this movement, for we knew with certainty that our God, who created the universe with power and infused it with love, who guided the Israelites out of slavery, is a God of liberation and justice, a God of limitless love. Our God gave a scrawny little shepherd boy victory over a giant. We were not alone. Our voices would be heard. Justice would overcome injustice. Love would prevail over hate.
Two years ago, after Proposition 8 was overturned in court, I stood on the steps of the old courthouse in Santa Ana with an elated community as I presided over the first federally recognized same-gender marriage in Orange County. We rejoiced with our brides and relished their wedding cake. But even as we celebrated, we recognized the incompleteness of our win. But the trajectory was set, victory would soon wash over the nation and equal marriage for all people would soon be realized, and we would not rest on our laurels but fight on.
On Friday, we won. Today, love rules. Today, justice is served. Today, God rejoices with us.
The journey isn’t over. There is still injustice to fight. There are still wounded to be healed. There is still love to share. But today we pause to celebrate, rejoice and thank God and all those who worked, fought, silently loved and boldly spoke out.
The road has been long, paved with heartache and tears but driven by love. Gay and straight, together we rejoice in love’s victory.