It is hard to look at some of the photos coming out of the United States — particularly Washington DC, and San Francisco — and not be moved by the tears of happiness from people celebrating the decisions today by the U.S. Supreme Court on same-sex marriage. (OK, I was moved to the point of tears.) To recap: The court struck down DOMA as unconstitutional, meaning same-sex married couples in the country will now receive the same federal benefits heterosexual couples receive. The other decision by the court today paves the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California.
Unfortunately, today’s decisions will not affect same-sex couples in more than 30 states that haven’t legalized gay marriage. I find it hard to believe that a country as advanced as the United States, a country that sends its soldiers to foreign countries to fight for the freedom of people there, denies some of its own citizens equal rights. Clearly, the nation has a long way to go yet.
Still, today is a day of celebrations in the United States. Here are some of the photographs of those celebrations.
God bless America, and ALL its people.
Jillian
P.S. And congratulations to singer Melissa Etheridge, who announced today after the rulings that she will marry her partner, Linda, in California.
At city hall in San Francisco, Jewelle Gomez (right) and Diane Sabin react upon hearing the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
In San Jose, California, couple Lisa Kirk (left) and Lena Brancatelli react to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Elana Kessler (left) is embraced by friend Hannah Greenberg as she speaks with her mother on the phone on the steps of the Supreme Court while learning of favorable rulings issued by the court on same sex marriage cases June 26, 2013, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Couple Michael Knaapen (left) amd John Becker react after hearing the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Chase Hardin hugs friend Kai Neander on the steps of the Supreme Court after rulings on Wednesday, June 26, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Plantiff couple Paul Katami (left) and Jeff Zarillo speak to the media after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) plaintiff Edith “Edie” Windsor (C) speaks to supporters in Manhattan following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on DOMA on June 26, 2013 . It was the death of Windsor’s life partner of 42 years, Thea Clara Spyer, that led to the case. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Edith Windsor, left, kisses her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, during a news conference at the LGBT Center in New York after U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Supporters of same-sex marriage stand in front of San Francisco City Hall after the announcement of the results of the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(L-R) Rachel Howald, Kate Lummus, Virginia Sin and Gretchen Menter celebrate after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled key portions of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, at the Stonewall Inn on Wednesday, June 26, in the West Village neighborhood of New York City. The Stonewall Inn became historically important in the LGBT community after playing a key role in the gay-rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
