[Episcopal News Service] Arizona Bishop Jennifer Reddall, during a parish visit July 26, threw her support behind a political advocacy campaign that might have seemed redundant or unnecessary just a few years ago. “Every marriage is important, and we are working to ensure that same-sex marriage continues to be legal,” Reddall said in a social media post in advance of her visit to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix. Outside the cathedral after its worship service, she signed the Respect for Marriage pledge, a campaign organized by ONE Community and Equality Arizona to generate support for an effort to repeal an anti-LGBTQ+ provision in the state’s constitution. Same-sex couples have been able to marry in Episcopal churches since 2015, the same year that the U.S. Supreme Court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, ruled that marriage equality was the law of the land in all 50 states, including Arizona, where a lower court ruling had legalized same-sex marriage in 2014. Since then, The Episcopal Church has taken additional steps to ensure same-sex couples have access to the church’s marriage rites in all U.S. dioceses. Supporters of civil law marriage protections, however, have raised concerns that the Supreme Court, now with a conservative supermajority under President Donald Trump, could reverse its 2015 ruling and allow states again to discriminate against same-sex couples. That alarm has grown louder since the court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed individual states to outlaw abortion. Justice Clarence Thomas, in a supporting opinion, suggested the court also should “reconsider landmark rulings that recognized the right to birth control, decriminalized same-sex intimacy and opened the way to marriage equality.” Arizona is one of about two dozen states that still have same-sex marriage prohibitions in their state constitutions or statutes. Those prohibitions, which were invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell ruling, could take effect again if the court were to end marriage protections under the U.S. Constitution. ONE Community and Equality Arizona launched their Respect for Marriage Arizona campaign in February to raise awareness of the threat and rally support for a future ballot initiative that would remove the language from the Arizona constitution that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. “This educational campaign is about helping Arizonans understand the inalienable rights that come with legal marriage and the urgent need for action to protect the rights of all families in these uncertain times,” Michael Soto, CEO of Equality Arizona, said in the news release announcing the campaign. The states with constitutional bans on same-sex marriage range from deeply conservative Mississippi and Montana to liberal strongholds like Oregon. If Obergefell were overturned, the Democratic majority in a state like Oregon would be expected to act to ensure same-sex couples were still protected, according to an Axios analysis. California was another blue state that previously had a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, but voters in 2024 passed a ballot measure that removed that ban. Arizona leans Republican in voter registration, though it also is known as a swing state in national elections. The state chose Donald Trump in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and Trump again in 2024. Arizona has a Democratic governor, though its legislature has been controlled by Republicans for decades. In 2008, voters backed a measure to add a ban on same-sex marriage to Arizona’s state constitution. It now reads, “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.” The ban was struck down in 2014 by a U.S. District Court judge, which legalized same-sex marriage in the state. That ruling, however, could be nullified if the U.S. Supreme Court were to eliminate federal protections on marriage equality. Polls show a shift among Arizona voters and all Americans in favor of same-sex marriage. Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group, released a poll in 2022 showing 69% of Arizonans in favor of marriage equality.  Nationally, about 65% of Americans said they favored legal same-sex marriage in May 2026, according to a Gallup poll, though that support was down from its peak of 71% in 2022. On July 26, Reddall offered a physical demonstration of her diocese’s support for ensuring that all Arizonans retain the right to marry. Outside Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, surrounded by supporters holding red and blue Respect for Marriage Arizona signs, Reddall knelt before a large pledge board and signed her name to the bottom. “Proud to be signing the pledge to help keep all marriages legal with the good people of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral,” Reddall said in a social media post after the event. The campaign is collecting signatures from individual Arizonans across the state, including through its website. The campaign also is specifically soliciting support from faith organizations to join in signing the pledge. Organizers say the campaign is currently “educational,” in the hopes that public pressure will persuade the state Legislature to act on a constitutional amendment in time to get the measure on the ballot in the November 2028 election. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

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