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Sexual Orientation and Identity
In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that states could not prohibit intimate sexual relations between individuals of the same sex. The decision reversed a previous ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) that allowed states to regulate same-sex conduct as they saw fit.
Following the ruling in Lawrence, most national LGBTQ+ rights groups shifted their attention to the legalization or formal legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Just like in Lawrence, 12 years later Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
Despite these landmark rulings, LGBTQ+ rights activists still maintain that the Court has not gone far enough in protecting LGBTQ+ individuals. Additional cases, such as the Masterpiece Cake Shop case have tested the limits of the Court's willingness to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ+ couples and individuals.
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