" We have abundant reason to rejoice that, in this land, the light of
truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and
superstition.' The wisdom of these words, penned by President Washington
and now more than two centuries old, remind us that American Democracy
is an evolving journey, perfected with the passage of time.
Indeed our present day comprehension of marriage - based upon love
and lifelong loyalty - is itself an evolution in the institution of
marriage.
I celebrate today's decision but recognize that the fight for
equality is not over. Far from it. As we look to the future, I urge
those with whom I have walked this march to continue forward with
vigilance and resolve.
"Many similar milestones - such as the Nineteenth Amendment, the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - continue to be
challenged and undermined by courts and laws across the states by those
unable to temper their hatred. Dissimulated discrimination, like RFRA
laws and the Hobby Lobby decision, are evidence that enlightenment
develops on a separate and slower track.
There remains a long list of rights that must be guaranteed before
the LGBT community achieves equality under the law. There are no federal
workplace protections against discrimination based on sexual
orientation or gender identity. We are nowhere near providing adequate
protections for the rights of transgender Americans.
This cause for celebration closes one chapter of civil right
injustices enforced by state laws. To deny the value of any love,
devalues all love. The nation has traveled full circle in the eleven
years since San Francisco's Winter of Love, but the underlying
prejudices have not disappeared. Some remain self-imprisoned by their
own enmity, seeking to deny the life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness of their neighbors while overlooking Samuel Adams' insight
that "the truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and
defended it as they ought. "
California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, June 26, 2015.
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