Same-sex marriage has been legal, nationally in Canada for over 7 years now (excluding the province of British Columbia and Ontario, which allowed same-sex marriage in 2003). In the United States of America – In a 5 to 4 vote, The Supreme Court of The United States (SCOTUS), has deemed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional: “DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment”. There is definitely more work to be done in the United States regarding basic human rights for the LGBT community but today, let’s celebrate this victory with images and moments of The Supreme Court’s ruling.
President Barack Obama
Made 2 phone calls from Air Force One. The first was to Edie Windsor (plaintiff in USA v Windsor in DOMA) to congratulate her on her victory. The second phone call was to Chad Griffin (President of Human Rights Campaign) and his plaintiffs and legal team involved with the Proposition 8 case. Here is his statement after the SCOTUS ruling:
I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.
So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.
On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that.
The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.
Here is a picture of Edie Windsor (pictured on left) shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling:
Proposition 8 plaintiff, Paul Katami, proposes to Jeff Zarillo on live television after SCOTUS ruling – such JOY!:
Kris Perry (prop 8 plaintiff) statement after SCOTUS ruling:
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 