"Supreme Court strikes down DOMA
because “... it humiliates tens of thousands of children now being raised
by same-sex couples. The law in question makes it even more difficult
for children to understand the integrity and closeness of their own
family and its concord with other families in their community and their
lives.”
June 26 was a day that my heart was filled with joy and pride. That joy and
pride was not just for me, but for everyone in this country, my gay
brothers and sisters, my straight allies, for every child in this
country, and for every child born yesterday who will never live in a
world with DOMA. I bow my head to those heroes
who paved the way for us and had the courage to stand up for what they
knew was right. I am even more inspired to stand up for what is right
and encourage everyone to do the same.
I remembered Harvey Milk yesterday. “The
only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give
them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow,
hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too
great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but
the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us'es, the us'es will
give up”
I remembered Matthew Shepard yesterday. "There
had been a news story about same-sex marriage and he was debating it
with me. He asked me if I thought gay couples would ever be allowed to
get married and he wasn't at all optimistic it would happen. He was in a
mindset of, 'People are never going to accept us or understand us.'" I
wish he'd been here to see it," she added. "This case warms my heart, to
think that his dream is still coming true." Judy Shepard
I think that President Obama summed it up perfectly "I
don’t believe in discrimination of any sort. So my basic view is that
regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of gender,
regardless of sexual orientation, when it comes to how the law treats
you, how the state treats you -- the benefits, the rights and the
responsibilities under the law -- people should be treated equally."
As
so many people have said, it is not a gay issue, it’s a Human Rights
issue. We still have a lot of work to do, but for now, lets take a
moment to celebrate."