In 2015, the Obergefell decision from the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Six years later, a Gallup poll revealed that a majority of Americans on both sides of the aisle favored this legal recognition. Today, The New York Times’ Amy Harmon claims that it’s been “more than a decade since same-sex marriage dominated the national political discourse.” But could that be changing? 

A 2024 Gallup poll showed that Republican support for same-sex marriage dropped by almost 10% in two years. “This may or may not be the beginning of a long-term correction on how the public sees this issue,” Family Research Council’s Joseph Backholm said at the time. After all, he pointed out, “Same-sex marriage was sold to the public as the tolerant choice, but what we’ve seen since then is that the political movement that brought us same-sex marriage is anything but tolerant.” That has led, some believe, to a growing call for the Supreme Court to reassess — and potentially overturn — Obergefell. In the Times, Harmon points to a burgeoning movement to turn states’ attention back to natural marriage and end what conservatives call a “failed social experiment.”

“No one is suggesting that reconsideration of the decision in Obergefell is imminent,” Harmon wrote. “Still, the number of state measures proposed signals an effort to shift the perception of same-sex marriage.” One such measure is Oklahoma’s Covenant Marriage Act, introduced in January 2025 by state Senator Dusty Deevers (R). The bill, which aimed to return to the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman, was described as an effort “to restore moral sanity in Oklahoma.” A similar proposal had previously been introduced in Tennessee.

The Covenant Marriage Act’s stated purpose was to “set a course for pushing back against the moral decay … by the far-left’s march through our institutions to destroy the moral foundations upon which the United States and Christian Civilization had long rested.” Although his legislation did not pass, Deevers and like-minded advocates remain committed to challenging Obergefell and promoting the natural definition of marriage.

While some insist that same-sex marriage is a “fundamental right,” others understand marriage to be rooted in biblical morality and truth. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, speaking on “Washington Watch” Monday, argued that Obergefell “took something that is morally objectionable and made it a right.” And while they “made it legal,” he points out, “they can’t make it moral.” He noted that “we’ve got about a half a dozen states that are now entertaining resolutions calling on the Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 decision redefining marriage. … As long as there is truth, there will be a conflict.”

Deevers, joining Perkins, emphasized that “people like to say that Obergefell is a settled law. But the truth is, it’s not. Obergefell isn’t settled law. It’s besetting immorality that’s imposed by judicial decree.” He argued that “court opinions can be referred to as settled law only if they are rooted firmly in the Constitution and the heritage and tradition of the American people. And the fact is, Obergefell is fundamentally antithetical to all of these, and there is just no ‘right’ to gay marriage in the Constitution.”

Deevers further contended that “marriage is not the state’s institution. It’s God’s institution. And really, no Supreme Court ruling that redefines a God-ordained institution is ever truly settled — not morally or culturally and even constitutionally.” He added, “The rogue court will stand in judgment before God for their decision. And the fact is, here in Oklahoma, our statutes still define marriage as between a man and a woman. And that’s not a relic. That’s reality.”

According to the Republican, advancing such legislation requires “moral courage to stand for truth in an age of confusion.” Perkins drew a connection to the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, noting, “Is this not parallel to what we saw with the overturn of Roe v. Wade?” He argued that, like Roe, Obergefell conflicts with “the moral law of God.” Deevers went on to highlight how the Supreme Court “has overturned itself over 300 times, proving that they are not ruling from on high, that they don’t have the mind of God. … [T]hey need to move back to the sanity that we see in the Scriptures and rule accordingly.”

Reflecting on the Covenant Marriage Act, Perkins shared that he “authored the nation’s first covenant marriage law in Louisiana,” which aimed to promote “a pattern of marriage based upon biblical truth.” He described Deevers’s Oklahoma bill as following a similar model, rooted in “the idea of modeling what is right so that others will see the value that comes from marriage as designed by God.”

Perkins concluded by commending Deevers. “I want to thank you for taking a stand for what is true and what is right. And even though it may not be in vogue today, we know that truth is everlasting. And so, we … have an obligation … to stand and speak that truth.”