BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New York state passed the Marriage Equality Act in 2011, and in the 2015 Obergefell decision, the Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples had the fundamental right to marriage under the U.S. Constitution.

However, Stonewall Democrats of Western New York President Bryan Ball said the LGBTQ+ community's fight for marriage rights has never really felt over.

"While it is extremely scary for so many LGBTQ Americans to worry about what scenarios could happen if a court case were brought two years from now, five years from now, 50 years from now, it's something that we always have to be vigilant about and absolutely have to take very seriously," Ball said.

He said Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion as the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade calling for the court to revisit other decisions, including Obergefell, validated those concerns and Senator Ted Cruz's recent comments calling that decision clearly wrong stoked them again. 

"They absolutely fanned the flames of a lot of hatred that's in the country, and I think it's a very transparent attempt on Senator Cruz's part to reignite these culture wars," he said.

Even so, the conservative Republican Cruz said he doesn't believe the court has an appetite to overturn the decision creating chaos for people who have already legally entered into same-sex marriages. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-NY-26, said he doesn't share that opinion following the court's decision to overturn Roe.

"Anything is on the chopping block now given what the Supreme Court has done and given the extreme political rhetoric of the United States Supreme Court," Higgins said.

On Tuesday, the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act which would establish marriage is valid under federal law if it was legal in the state it was performed. 

"We have a right-wing Supreme Court that's out of control, and Congress is asserting its authority against this court," he said.

While the legislation did have some Republican support in the House, including every New York member except Rep. Claudia Tenney, a bipartisan effort will be necessary in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to pass a filibuster.