U.S. Gay – HISTORIC COURT RULING
Supremes legalize same-sex nuptials ‘Woo-hoos’ & ‘I dos’ for historic ruling
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay and lesbian couples have the same right to marry as any other American in a landmark decision that settled one of the most contentious social issues in US history.
Celebrations and joyful weddings quickly followed around the country, including in some of the 14 states where they had been banned before the decision.
President Obama hailed the decision from the White House, saying it had arrived “like a thunderbolt” and “made our union a little more perfect.”
“When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free,” he declared.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Republican appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1988, was once again the swing vote who joined the court’s liberal bloc to provide the 54 majority.
Kennedy rejected arguments that the ruling undermines traditional marriage.
“In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were,” he wrote in the decision.
“Marriage embodies 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.”
But Chief Justice John Roberts warned in his dissent that the ruling opens the door to polygamy.
“From the standpoint of history and tradition, a leap from oppositesex marriage to samesex marriage is much greater than one from a twoperson union to plural unions, which have deep roots in some cultures around the world,” Roberts wrote.
“If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one.”
Justice Antonin Scalia, in his own scathing dissent, compared the ruling to a judicial coup, arguing that the decision should have been left up to the states.
“What really astounds is the hubris reflected in today’s judicial Putsch,” Scalia wrote.
He rejected the majority’s assertion that marriage helps couples find “freedoms, such as expression, intimacy and spirituality.”
“Really?” Scalia wrote. “One would think intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie.”
Within minutes of the announcement, more than 100 New Yorkers began partying in the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village — the gay bar that was the site of a 1969 riot that many believe marked the birth of the gayrights movement.
When the celebration spilled out onto Christopher Street after growing to more than 1,000 people, cops cordoned off surrounding blocks. Several politicians turned up to show their support.
“Love always wins,’’ Public Advocate Letitia James told the happy crowd. “It’s as simple as that.’’
Dustin Pittman, a photographer from the West Village who took pictures at the city’s first Gay Pride Parade in 1970, predicted the party would last all weekend.
“A lot of my friends have died over the years, and I wish they were here to see this. I’ve lost a lot of friends, and I’m celebrating for them. When I photographed the parade 45 years ago, to see the transition to where we are today, it’s incredible,” he said.
Lea Delaria, who plays Big Boo on “Orange Is The New Black,” said, “I have been a professional lesbian since 1982 — before that I freelanced.”