This past Tuesday, May 28, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether or not the Constitution protects same-sex marriage.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said that he was worried about changing the definition of marriage from “a way to bind children to their biological parents” to “a way to bind loved ones together.”

Some students said they felt that this argument was outdated.

“It doesn’t make sense to look thousands of years into the past for the very first definition of marriage, when in today’s society, the ways of marriage have completely changed,” Carolynn van Arsdale ’16 said.

Other justices said that the states, not the courts, should be the ones to decide whether same-sex marriage should be allowed.

Cole Bruno ’16, an active member of JSA, agreed that the decision should remain in the states’ hands. However, he also noted that the 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection for all, and that the federal government should ensure that no citizen is being deprived of this equality.

Students who spoke to Inklings were pleased yet apprehensive about the Supreme Court ruling on the matter.

Audrey Putman ’17 said that while the discussion is a huge step forward for LGBTQ rights, she is somewhat nervous for the outcome.

“Leaving the decision up to the Supreme Court […] runs the risk of undoing a lot of progress that has been made,” Ari Idrizaj ’16 agreed.

However, Chinese teacher Chris Fray, who has been married to his husband since 2009, said that what the Court decides is not the end of the issue.

“[The legalization of same-sex marriage] will happen no matter what the Supreme Court says, in my opinion,” he said. “It may take longer if the Supreme Court rules against gay marriage, but it will happen. It’s just a matter of being on the right side of history.”