Supreme Court Justice Says Americans Ready to Accept Gay Marriage

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn’t think there would be widespread backlash if the high court decides to legalize same-sex marriage across the country this year.

“I think it’s doubtful that it wouldn’t be accepted,” Ginsburg said in an interview with Bloomberg. “The change in people’s attitudes on that issue has been enormous.”

About 72% of Americans live in the 37 states and Washington, D.C., where gay and lesbian couples are free to marry, and soon the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments that will decide whether that freedom carries over to the rest of the U.S.

“I think that as more and more people came out and said ‘This is who I am,’ the rest of us recognized that they are one of us,” Ginsburg said. “We discovered it’s our next-door neighbor; we’re very fond of them. Or it’s our child’s best friend or even our child.”

[Bloomberg]

Silent No More: Early Days in the Fight for Gay Rights

Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, California, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay Pride, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay Activists Alliance, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights rally, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights event, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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