When Barb Clark Elliot got news that the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, she and her family danced around a bit in their Renton house. She got a call from her step daughter in Tyler, Texas, early in the morning on Friday, June 26, making sure they heard the news.

“Being awakened by this thrilling news was great,” said Barb in retrospect.

The last time the Renton Reporter caught up with Barb, husband Wayne and her son Jonas, the family was supporting Referendum 74, which supported same-sex marriage in the 2012 state elections. Barb is the Renton facilitator of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be getting married at any point in the future, but I think excitement … is all I could feel,” said Jonas about his reaction to the decision.

The Supreme Court’s ruling brought happiness to the Clark Elliot family, but it wasn’t assumed that the justices would rule in their favor.

“We were very unconvinced that SCOTUS (the Supreme Court of the United States) would make the ‘correct’ ruling for our kids and other loved ones,” Barb said.

She did not trust that all of the justices would separate Constitutional law from personal opinion, she stated.

“I was worried that the judges who are staunchly against equal rights for LGBT people, for women, for immigrants, etc., would somehow overwhelm the judges who seem to often consider civil rights as an American right,” Barb said.

She also feared that Republicans’ and others’ views, “who have a streak of ‘religious angst’” would cloud the judgment of the Supreme Court Justices’ decision.

To celebrate on June 26, Barb and Jonas drove up to Capitol Hill in Seattle to run some errands and do “a bit of honking, waving and feeling so happy” with passersby on the street. On the way home, they could barely contain their thrill as they spotted a rainbow flag atop the highest rooftop of Starbucks headquarters in SODO, South of Downtown. They continued to join in the festivities and watch the Pride Festival that following weekend in Seattle. Barb staffed an PFLAG information table at this year’s festival.

Since 2012, the Renton PFLAG Support Group has grown. Barb thinks the new attendees are due to increased outreach to South King County organizations, events and festivals. She doesn’t consider herself the lobbying or “going-to-Olympia” type of advocate. She prefers to respond to online petitions, write letters to editors and reach out to high school and middle school Gay Straight Alliance clubs.

The Renton PFLAG Support group continues to be involved in festivals, panels, GSA clubs and interacting with the Renton Ecumenical Association of Churches.

As for Jonas, he visited the Pride Festival this year to soak up the electric atmosphere. In 2012, he wasn’t dating anyone but has since met several people. He’s happy, he said, and feels lucky to have people in his life.

“What a great relief, for all those who were afraid what the, many think, old, conservative, traditionalist Supreme Court might decide,” he said.