According to this article, the state of Alabama finally did something progressive without being threatened by the federal government: in the midst of the South Carolina tragedy, the governor quietly removed the Confederate Flag from the state's capitol. This came just days before the conservative state was now forced to allow gay marriage, as every state must as a result of the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision.
Talking to a few Alabama natives, the prejudice here against the LGBTQ+ community is strong- black or white, young or old, most people in Alabama are not in favor of the decision. Interestingly enough, Alabama does have a Pride Festival that has been occurring in Birmingham for 37 years as of this June- and many people here have gay friends and are not opposed to LGBTQ+ people, but their lifestyle. This is mainly a result of the "Bible Belt" mentality that is prominent in the South. My question now goes to the courts: will they resist the federal decision as they resisted school integration so long ago? Or will the state obey the federal laws without question? I'll be interested in seeing how this goes, and whether or not the prejudice that LGBTQ+ people here face increases, or hopefully, decreases. UPDATE: Well, well, well, we knew this wouldn't go out without a fight... read about it here.