For the first time in her life, Marine Corps Capt. Meleah Martin is refusing to wear American flag attire this Independence Day. Instead, she told her family that she will only wear pride colors and apparel. Not because she's unpatriotic – she's spent approximately 16 months deployed overseas as an F-18 pilot. But because she believes her constitutional rights are under attack.
Martin said it's been disheartening to witness liberties such as the right to protest or to cast a ballot come under attack in recent years. Those frustrations turned to devastation for her with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, stripping away the constitutional right to an abortion. Martin hopes to someday start a family, but as someone who identifies as a lesbian, she's scared her right to marry and have children may also be in danger.
As a result of these fears and frustrations, she said she doesn't look at the American flag the way she used to.
And she's not alone.
For some, the shifts brought on by the court are cause for celebration. For others, their sentiments amount to a loss of trust and confidence in political leaders, and growing frustration with the country they are sworn to defend.
To read more of Dustin Jones' article, please click here.
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