For decades, LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide have fought for the same rights and liberties as their heterosexual peers. While true equality is still a long way off, especially in today’s political climate, we have secured significant victories — including marriage equality. In the US, after two decades of campaigning, same-sex marriage was finally legalised across all 50 states following the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case.

Since that historic day, LGBTQIA+ people in the US have fully embraced their right to marry. According to data from the Williams Institute, more than 591,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot since Obergefell, with married couples making up the majority of partnered same-sex households since 2016. The research also found that same-sex marriages have boosted the country’s economy, with wedding spending generating an estimated $432.2 million in state and local sales tax revenue.

While marriage equality has allowed queer people to fulfil their dreams of lifelong commitment — and proven to boost the economy — it’s now being targeted by, you guessed it, far-right political figures and conservative bigots. In this explainer, we break down everything you need to know about the case urging the Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage, and what experts are saying.

Who’s formally asking the US Supreme Court to overturn same sex marriage?

Kim Davis is the individual behind the recent petition. But before we get into her anti-LGBTQIA+ request, here’s some context: in June 2015, shortly after the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, the former Kentucky county clerk made headlines when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, citing her religious beliefs.

In one video that went viral at the time, Davis is seen in a tense exchange with a queer couple seeking to exercise their legal right to marry, telling them: “We are not issuing marriage licenses today.” When asked whose authority she was acting under, Davis replied: “Under God’s authority.”

Despite being ordered by the Court to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Davis refused, leading to her jailing for “contempt of court.” “The court cannot condone the wilful disobedience of its lawfully issued order. If you give people the opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that’s what potentially causes problems,” Judge Bunning said at the time, per The New York Times.