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It’s a major victory for same-sex marriage supporters, believers in equality, and pretty much everyone in the human race. In a 5-4, ruling, the Supreme Court deemed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, as it was a “deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.” Here’s what you need to know about what went down:
- By striking down DOMA, the Supreme Court has declared that legally married, same-sex couples deserve the same equal rights that go to straight married couples under the law. This means that more than 100,000 married same-sex couples will be able to receive tax breaks, pension rights, and other benefits. Yay!
- Likewise, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban. Hopefully, this’ll be the last time we here about this dreaded little number.
- The Supreme Court failed to do two things: issue a national and significant ruling on the state of same-sex marriage in the United States, and strike down another provision in the law that doesn’t require any states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. That part of the law wasn’t challenged.
There’s still major work to be done in the scope of same-sex marriage in the United States, but this huge step deserves all the celebration. SCOTUS’s move reflects growing acceptance of same-sex marriage in the United States, and it’s about damn time.
Source: CBS News
Photo via NPR
