Friday ruling on same-sex marriage is historic decision

Supreme Court won’t change people’s opinions overnight – but it’s a start

It can be hard to realize history is being made even when it occurs right in front of us. But make no mistake – Friday’s Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage is one of those moments.

The justices ruled in a 5-4 decision that states cannot deny same-sex couples marriage rights.

The decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, is a fascinating read, spanning the history of marriage and past Supreme Court decisions. Consider this – just 48 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled to legalize interracial marriages with Loving v. Virginia in 1967. Today, interracial marriages are commonplace and acceptable – but in 1967, that decision was a landmark one.

Friday’s ruling noted, “The past alone does not rule the present. The nature of injustice is that we do not always see it in our own time.”

And in an undeniably powerful closing statement, the court noted, “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 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. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutes. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

Unfortunately, this historic Supreme Court ruling can impact only the legality of samesex marriages. It can’t automatically change people’s minds, nor erase pockets of prejudice and discrimination that still exist. But look at the Loving ruling. It forever changed America on interracial marriages, and slowly, that prejudice has almost dropped out of sight.

That too will happen with same-sex marriages. The children of today will know nothing different than this ruling – that love is love, and people are free to marry each other, regardless of gender. And that is an amazing achievement.