Waitin' for the Weekend

Private, consensual sexual intimacy between two adult persons of the same sex may not be punished by the State, and it can form "but one element in a personal bond that is more enduring." By its recognition of the validity of same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions and then by authorizing same-sex unions and same-sex marriages, New York sought to give further protection and dignity to that bond.

For same-sex couples who wished to be married, the State acted to give their lawful conduct a lawful status. This status is a far-reaching legal acknowledgment of the intimate relationship between two people, a relationship deemed by the State worthy of dignity in the community equal with all other marriages. It reflects both the community’s considered perspective on the historical roots of the institution of marriage and its evolving understanding of the meaning of equality.

--United States v. Windsor,
Supreme Court of the United States, June 26, 2013.

Upon hearing the news that DOMA has been struck down,
Michael Knaapen and his husband, John Becker, embrace 
outside the Supreme Court, Washington, D. C., June 26, 2013