History was made on Friday, when the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-to-4 vote that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage. This incredible and heartwarming victory has been a long road for the gay community, and I am absolutely elated that marriage equality has finally been achieved. It is my hope that this is a sign of things to come.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote on the decision, “[T]he right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment couples of the same-sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty. The Court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them.”
Directly following the Supreme Court’s decision, same-sex couples poured into county clerks’ offices throughout the nation asking for marriage licenses at the same time that videos and images were going viral of people’s thrilled reactions to the ruling. Now, social media is exploding with joyful support of the decision and celebrations are breaking out everywhere.
It’s incredible how so much happiness and joy can spread so quickly and in so many places, despite recent controversy surrounding the Confederate flag. This serves to illustrate how far we are able to come as a society—and as a species—when we look to simply creating an environment in which everyone is equal and has the opportunity to pursue their own happiness.
I hope, as I’m sure many do, that this landslide victory for not just the gay community, but for all humanity, will help spur further wins for activists.
Henry Rollins, a human rights activist, once said, “Marriage equality is a term so ridiculous on its face that when you hear it mentioned, you would think you were in Riyadh. Years from now, perhaps we can lose the equality part, the same-sex part and call it what it is—marriage.”
Well, that day has arrived. Congratulations to all the new married couples everywhere.
