“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 institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”
~ Justice Anthony Kennedy,  Obergefell, et. al. v. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et. al.

Sometimes being a witness to history is surreal, and you don’t really understand the magnitude of it until you look back and say, “Yeah, I remember where I was when that happened.”  For instance, I remember being in my PJs, watching the tv in fascination when the Berlin Wall came down.  I was pretty young, but I do remember those early days of growing up thinking of the Soviet Union as “that bad country” and the U.S. as “the good country.”  So, when the Soviet Union ceased to exist a few years later, I remember sitting in my high school history class trying to grapple with the sea change of witnessing something that was unimaginable prior to that moment.  The same kind of haziness of “did that really just happen” occurred when I stood in my living room, glued to the election return results when I saw Barack Obama elected as the first African-American President of the United States.  For many of us African-Americans, it was inconceivable that you would see someone with your heritage become one of the leaders of the free world.  It was something you hoped would happen at some point down the line for future generations – and beyond just seeing Morgan Freeman occupy the White House.

So, this morning, as I was getting dressed, seeing the breaking news alert coming in that the U.S. Supreme Court made the United States the 21st country in the world to recognize gay marriage, I had to stop and absorb the impact of what that meant.  You see, not even two decades ago, the Court time and again found reasons to not recognize this one basic right to human dignity. These opinions – particularly the ones expressed by Justice Scalia – would contain pretty firm, and at times vitriolic, reflections of how there is only one form of relationship that is recognized and blessed in this country, and it is that of a man and a woman.  There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re a “deviant” or “abnormal” for loving someone who isn’t what society deems appropriate in a traditional sense.  Today, Justice Kennedy’s majority made sure that going forward, no one should suffer the indignity of being unable to love freely and having the same happily ever after as everyone else.  I, for one, couldn’t be prouder to have been here to bear witness.

CREDITS

Capri Pants: ArisAris  | Lennart Capri Pants (HUD controlled for textures) available in store here and in Marketplace.
Shoes: Patriotic Series | Chuck Taylor Rainbow Sneakers (found in Marketplace here)
Hair: CaTwA |Aura
Hands: Slink | Avi Enhancement Hands in Casual
Jacket: Ricielli | Denim Biker Jacket (old item)
Ears: Mandala | Steking Mesh Ears
Body: Maitreya | Lara Mesh Body v. 3.3

Pose by Aerial Poses – Aerial Bike