US

Lori Lightfoot says ‘f**k Clarence Thomas’ amid fears Supreme Court will go after same-sex marriage

Black Chicago mayor, Lori Lightfoot, waving to Pride crowds in Chicago, with wife, Amy Eshleman, by her side.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (L) and Chicago’s First Lady Amy Eshleman (R) attend the 51st LGBTQ Pride Parade in Chicago, Illinois, on June 26, 2022. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot gave a crystal-clear response to US Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas suggesting that same-sex marriage should be reviewed in light of Roe v Wade overturning.

Lori Lightfoot’s impassioned remarks came during Chicago’s North Side Pride march on Sunday (26 June).

She spoke after Thomas wrote a concurring opinion stating that as well as overturning Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court should also reconsider cases that granted the right to same-sex marriage, same-sex relationships and contraception.

The opinion has no legal standing, but is a worrying indication of the direction the court could now take.

A video of the Chicago North Side Pride march shows a member of the crowd shouting “F**k Clarence Thomas” while Lori Lightfoot is on stage discussing the Supreme Court’s actions.

Lightfoot agrees, repeating the curse; the crowd can then be heard cheering in support.

Although her words were well received by those in attendance and on social media, where the clip has gone viral, Lightfoot swiftly received backlash from her regular critics.

According to Fox32 Chicago, several of Lightfoot’s mayoral challengers expressed their shock and outrage.

One went as far as to suggest Lightfoot was “inciting mob action”, echoing allegations made against the mayor in May after she called a leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade ruling a “a call to arms”.

Chicago City Council’s alderman Raymond Lopez, one of Lightfoot’s harshest critics who once traded swear words with her during a conference call, suggested Lightfoot’s choice of words were “undignified”.

Despite the backlash, Lori Lightfoot has continued to speak out against the Supreme Court.

Talking to CBS News on Monday (27 June), Lightfoot said she had authorised $500,000 to support reproductive healthcare providers in Chicago ahead of an expected influx of women from out-of-state (Abortion is protected by Illinois law), but said there is much more to be done.

“We will be ready, and we will remain a beacon of justice for all and we will make sure women who need reproductive care are able to get it in the city of Chicago,” she said.

The mayor isn’t alone in her upset at the US Supreme Court ruling.

Vice president Kamala Harris has also spoken out and said that she fears same-sex marriage will be targeted next.

In a CNN interview, Harris said that she was shocked when she heard the news.

“It’s one thing when you know something is going to happen and it’s another thing when it actually happens,” she said.

Harris added: “The court actually took a constitutional right that has been recognised for half a century and took it from the women of America. That’s shocking when you think about it in terms of what that means in terms of democratic principles in terms of the ideals on which we were founded about liberty, about freedom.”

During the course of the interview, Harris also described Justice Thomas as having “said the quiet part out loud”.

For now, both Lightfoot and Harris continue to fight for equality, with Harris concluding: “I definitely think this isn’t over.”

 

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