The fight for marriage equality has just received a major boost from the United States Supreme Court! Decided by a 5-4 vote, the landmark ruling allows married same-sex couples to receive the same federal benefits as straight couples. And as an additional piece of good news, in deciding not to argue a California case, the Court has virtually granted same-sex marriages in the state — making it the 13th in the Union to have such policy.
So, what does this double dose of victory mean for proponents of marriage equality? First off, the ruling offers more playing ground for the Obama administration in how it defines and protects same-sex couples. With equal federal benefits, tax breaks, medical kinship and other rights are now afforded to same-sex couples no matter what state they were married. And due to the Court’s reluctance to rule on the California case (stemming all the way back to the Prop 8 fight), those same-sex couples can now marry in California, move anywhere in the United States and still maintain federal benefits.
It’s fantastic to see the country moving further in the direction of tolerance and equality and away from bigotry and exclusion. One day our kids will look back on this and easily identify those who fought for the right cause, and those who mired themselves in prejudice — the Five Justices of the Supreme Court who struck down the ban on gay marriage have just added themselves to the right side of the fight.
