Love Wins!

"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. [...]They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right." (Justice Kennedy)

Did you see them? Did you see the unapologetic tears of joy? Did you hear the cries of unrestrained jubilation? Did you witness the love?

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States said YES to marriage equality! All men and women, besides being created equal, are now free to marry the person he or she loves.

Today, love wins.

Today, love lifts us up where we belong.

I remember in the late 1980s/early 1990s as part of a freshman composition class, I was asked to write either a persuasive or informative paper on a controversial subject. My paper, “Happily Ever After: Making Marriage Gay,” turned out to be both informative and persuasive. It needed to be. In those days, everything about “the gay lifestyle” was news (we paid bills, went to movies, did laundry—you know, subversive stuff).

The paper had to be persuasive because marriage wasn’t yet a possibility. It was clear to me that merely allowing same-sex couples to marry would grow local, state, and Federal revenue. The governmental infrastructure around marriage and taxes was already in place. Every business that surrounds the wedding industry would grow. Jobs would be created. People would spend money to pay bills, go to movies, and buy clothes to launder.

It seemed like a no-brainer.

Sadly, some people without brains got in the way of economic prosperity for all.

Today, that can change.

Mostly, the naysayers seem to object on religious grounds, yet religion has not been a requirement for marriage for a very long time. That was redefined more than a century ago. One person’s religion should not be codified into law to limit other people. Unless it’s my religion, of course!

Some objected on the basis of tradition—‘we’ve always done it this way.’ We used to write on cave walls, phones weren’t always mobile, televisions didn’t always come with a remote, I used to have hair to comb. Traditions change with the times.

The marriage “tradition” had already been changed. Marriage was no longer at the whim of the patriarch to gain political power by acquiring in-laws. Marriage became a decision between two adults based on their mutual physical, emotional, and mental attraction. Some still sought some measure of power by marrying for money, or with a prenuptial agreement, just in case. And in that case, and over time, the tradition of divorce no longer held the stigma it once did.

For those concerned that the sanctity of marriage is null and void now that one person can marry another of their own gender—no worries. That ‘sanctity’ has already been redefined by the likes of Britney Spears and one or more of the Kardashian clan. This will thrive even when marriage is entered into with the best of intentions (<cough>Liza Minnelli<cough>).

Today, the love that once dared not speak its name took another significant baby step forward into the light of freedom.

Don’t worry about cakes, flowers, or pizza.

For now...let’s just celebrate love!

Where were you when you heard the news? How will you celebrate love today?