Groups of GLBT allies assembled for a vigil on the grounds of the Wake County Court House Tuesday night.

Those attending the “Light the Way to Justice Vigil — United for Marriage Equality under the U.S. Constitution” stood in solidarity with protestors in Washington D.C. against California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, which the Supreme Court began hearing arguments about on Tuesday.

The vigil featured speakers as well as musical performances by Georgia Winfree of Someone’s Sister.

The vigil began with the cheering and chanting of “Gay, Straight, Black, White: Marriage is a Civil Right” echoing chants in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building. 

Jimmy Creech, a Methodist minister from Goldsboro, spoke in the beginning of the evening citing the day as an historic occasion. 

“A lot divides us, but it is what we stand upon that unites us, and that is what is in the U.S. Constitution.  Our movement brings together the promises and ideals of the community,” Creech said. “I am proud to be a U.S. citizen because of the promises, not history.” 

The Supreme Court agreed to hear Hollingsworth v. Perry after a panel of three appellate judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit in California held Proposition 8 unconstitutional. 

Kyle Vey, sophomore in mechanical and biomedical engineering and president of the GLBT Community Alliance, said he believes the Supreme Court agreed to hear the cases because of the prevalence of the issue. 

“It only makes sense that the Supreme Court would agree to hear these cases considering the size of the population that they affect.  Not only are GLBT individuals outraged, but out families and friends, too,” Vey said. 

The issue facing the nine justices will be whether or not the Equal Protection Clause of the 14 Amendment is violated by the provision. 

Proposition 8, a ballot initiative passed as a state constitutional amendment in the November 2008 state elections of California, included the provision that, “Only marriage between a man and a women is valid or recognized in California.” 

Proposition 8 overturned the California Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. 

After the proposition’s hearing, Ted Olson, the former solicitor general, and David Boies, an attorney, stood next to the couple involved in the case and referred to their argument as “a very thoughtful hearing.”

“The court never gives you an idea of how they’re going to decide and they didn’t today,” Olson said. “We don’t know for sure what the United States Supreme Court is going to do, but we’re very, very gratified that they listened, they heard, they asked hard questions, and there’s no denying where the right is and we hope that the Supreme Court will come out in that way when they make this decision in June.”

The Defense of Marriage Act, a United States federal law, defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman for federal and interstate recognition purposes. No state nor political subdivision is required to recognize the same-sex marriage of another state. 

“In an ideal world, both DOMA and Proposition 8 will be struck down with any other state-level constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage,” Vey said. 

Thirty states have placed a ban on same-sex marriages in their state constitutions, while nine states plus the District of Colombia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. 

Federal purposes include joint tax return filing, government employee benefits, Social Security survivors’ benefits and immigration. 

Obama administration has announced they will not defend section 3 in court but will continue enforcement. Republican leadership in the House of Representatives will now defend the law for the Department of Justice. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal after eight federal courts have found Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional. 

Although many conservatives still oppose the government allowing marriage licenses for same-sex couples, Republican division on the issue has increased. 

Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio became one of the most prominent conservative lawmakers to support same-sex marriage. 

He announced his changed stance two years after his 21-year-old son, Will, came out.

Senator Portman has admitted that he has not always been in support and once opposed marriage for same-sex couples until he thought about his position “in a much deeper way.”

“I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good time and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married,” Senator Portman wrote in an opinionated article in the Columbus Dispatch out of Ohio. 

Even with the increasing support of same-sex marriages, many polls have shown that the majority of voters are still in opposition. 

Opponents swarmed the grounds of Supreme Court Tuesday morning to express their concerns that the Supreme Court will likely to into consideration regarding tax benefits, Social Security benefits and the sanctity of marriage. 

According to a 2011 study out of UCLA School of Law’s William Institute, there are around 9 million American who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.  

The arguments will conclude following a hearing today on the Defense of Marriage Act.