This news will freak out any (American) homosexual who follows the news. If they are political aware at all, then they are worried about their freedoms. If they are not, you have my permission to call them out.
Anthony Kennedy was a Republican appointed (Ronald Reagan) justice that was conservative, but ideologically libertarian in many ways.
He often voted on non-ideological lines. That is, he sometimes voted with the court "liberals". His was the decisive voted that struck sodomy off the books (legalizing gay and lesbian sex as well as straight sexual practices like oral sex in many states).
He was the swing vote in Obergerfel that legalized gay marriage. Now, without his vote, I believe that the Supreme Court will allow a lot of discrimination against gays and possibly overturn Obergerfell at a national level. This court has already shown it does not respect precedent.
That same disregard for precedent and animosity towards rights of women to terminate their pregnacies forecast a significant roll back of women's rights as well. The two swing votes in protecting a woman's right to choose were Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy. O'Connor was replaced with a women's rights supporter, but with the retirement of Kennedy the court is equally divided on abortion rights. All 24 people on Trump's short list are anti-women's rights.
The new Supreme Court won't outlaw abortion or gay marriage country wide, but they will roll both of these back to the state level.
Fuck.
But hey, this is what happens when you don't vote. All you non-voting gays in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Thanks. All you women who support the rights of your own body, but were too busy to vote in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Thanks. Susan Sarandon - whom I love as an actress and a person - thank you for saying the vote didn't matter and to support Jill Stein. That was the margin in some states.