An enormously important decision came down from the Supreme Court on Friday, June 26. An amazing victory for the LGBT community and for our country. We are all better because of this decision. It upholds the highest values of our country, of our democracy. Justice for some helps justice for all. We’re all touched by the eloquence of Justice Kennedy as he writes about this decision:

“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.”

This is a thoughtful statement that evokes the humanity of this ruling. This is one of those times when we feel especially proud to be Americans, to see justice served and freedoms expanded.