Today is a legendary day because America has just overturned every single same-sex marriage ban in all 50 of its states, for good. The Supreme Court met today to vote on whether or not a same-sex couple's right to marriage matches an opposite-sex couple's and they voted in favour, 5-4.
While gay marriage was first made possible in Massachusetts in 2004, the state-by-state announcement of legalising gay marriage created huge differences between states. It meant that a marriage certificate registered in one state wasn't recognised in others, and, on a more personal level, that 30% of Americans were living in states where gay people weren't given the same rights as their straight counterparts.
The Supreme Court's decision was part of a ruling on a case called Obergefell v Hodges. John Arthur was terminally ill and wanted his husband, George Obergefell to be on his death certificate as his surviving spouse. Except their state, Ohio, wouldn't recognise the marriage because same-sex marriage was illegal (they'd married in Maryland). So, slowly but surely, Obergefell took the Ohio and to reversal courts and other courts and up and up the chain until the Supreme Court could do a ruling. In the mean time, John died aged 48.
But the Supreme Court ruled, saying that banning same-sex marriages anywhere in the USA would be in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment - that every citizen of America would have equal protection under the law.
Here's the final words of Justice Kennedy, who voted in favour of same-sex marriage:
*'No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage emvodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. *
The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed.
It is so ordered.'
Oh wow. Well done America, just in time for Pride! But also, on that note, once the celebrations are over, it's important to remember that gay marriage isn't the end of homophobia; there's still work to be done, but - fuck yeah! - what a starting block to run from.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.