My Big Fat Gay Wedding: In Celebration of America (Finally) Granting Marriage Equality

Today, for the first time in weeks, I opened my Twitter and the biggest trending topic didn’t make me want to cry. It wasn’t a hashtag with the name of another victim of police brutality, or the name of a racist mass murderer, or a phrase begging the rest of America to value black lives. Today, I opened Twitter and a smile spread across my face at the sight of the top trending topic, #LoveWins. The Supreme Court of America passed a law this morning legalizing gay marriage across the country. Each of the states that were still upholding a ban against same sex marriage is now, by law, required to allow gays to marry and to recognize the legitimacy of their unions. This news has made me so incredibly happy. So happy, in fact, I don’t care to spar with the trolls, school the ignorant, humble the bigots, or otherwise argue with naysayers. I don’t care about those using religion or science or anything else to argue against it. I could sit here and logically break down every argument against gay marriage, but I’ve been there and done that. Today, I just want to celebrate.

I want to celebrate the fact that couples who have been in committed relationships for decades can now have their unions legally recognized. They will no longer have to go through loopholes like adopting their lovers to have the rights of married couples.

I want to celebrate the fact that gay couples can now share in a right that straight couples have been taking for granted and abusing for years. No longer will they be denied the right to marry while straight couples get divorced at a rate of 50%.

I want to celebrate the fact that a religion that some gays don’t even believe in is no longer influencing what they can and cannot do with their lives. Marriage is a legal institution, not a religious one.

I want to celebrate the fact that when a gay man’s husband or gay woman’s wife takes ill, they can visit their partners as spouses and make decisions in their care.

I want to celebrate the fact that a gay person can now file for their partner to immigrate to America, the way straight couples have always been able to do.

I want to celebrate the fact that if a gay person loses their partner, they aren’t forced to go to work and cry at their desk, but can take bereavement and grieve their loved one properly.

I want to celebrate the fact that gay people are finally being treated like humans in America.

Love is love, and in America, in this historic moment, love won. To every gay person who thought they would never see this day come, I can only begin to imagine your joy. To gays of colour, I am so happy that your burden as both a racial minority and a member of the LGBQT community has been lightened just a little more. To every gay child and teenager, I rejoice that you will not know the struggle those who came before you had to withstand to get to this moment. This is a huge step towards undoing the bigotry and prejudice that runs so deep in America. This gives me hope that other minority groups will someday see laws that protect their rights as Americans. This is history; this is happiness; and this is hope.