THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

This statement brought to life predictions many Democrats have made about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey would start a slippery slope regarding the possible nullification of other rights (although some have said interracial marriage could also be affected, which would affect Thomas and others such as Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell).

In his concurring opinion, Thomas—an appointee of President George H.W. Bush—wrote that the justices "should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell," referring to three cases having to do with fundamental privacy, due process and equal-protection rights.

In a statement Windy City Times received, GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, "Thomas' dissent is a blaring red alert for the LGBTQ community and for all Americans. We will never go back to the dark days of being shut out of hospital rooms, left off of death certificates, refused spousal benefits, or any of the other humiliations that took place in the years before Obergefell.

"And we definitely will not go back to the pre-Lawrence days of being criminalized just because we are LGBTQ. But that's exactly what Thomas is threatening to do to the country, even as support for marriage equality is at an all-time high of 71% and more Americans are coming out as LGBTQ with each generation. Between this threat and today's reversal of abortion rights, we can no longer trust that the Supreme Court is operating in the interests of the majority of Americans."