Check out this New York Times piece about an unintentional civil rights activist.
Mildred and Richard Loving were from Virginia and married in 1958 and set up housekeeping as newly married couples do. An anonymous tipster alerted the sheriff to their marriage. What was the crime in getting married for this man and woman? She was black and he was white.
The Supreme Court didn’t strike down laws against interracial marriage until 1967 when the Lovings case appeared before them. Not only were the Lovings arrested, but they pled guilty and were banished from the state of Virginia. They were allowed to return, but only if they did not return together. They had three children, but the family couldn’t take trips together to visit their relatives in Virginia. Imagine if the government told you that your family couldn’t be seen together!
Even though the Supreme Court declared such laws unconstitutional in 1967, Alabama was the last state to officially remove their Anti-miscegenation laws - in 2000!
Mrs. Loving even issued a statement just last year supporting same sex marriage.
There are many people today who continue to be opposed to interracial marriages. I even knew people in the Army who believed this and vocalized their beliefs to anyone who would listen. Despite this, the DoD didn’t use it to justify keeping out those who married someone of a different race or recruits who were multiracial. These soldiers get along with multiracial soldiers in order to accomplish the mission. Don’t you think it’s possible that soldiers who believe homosexuality is wrong could get along with gay soldiers too?
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