Pride for America.

On this day, five years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the matter of Obergefell v. Hodges that the Constitution allowed for same-sex marriage to be considered a right across the country. Up until this point, not all states viewed same-sex marriage to be valid in civil law; it wasn't until 2003 that the Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws were deemed unconstitutional. The news sparked worldwide responses, some optimistic and some not so. I was actually staying at a friend's house for a sleepover not long after we had finished our A Level exams when I read the news on Facebook. I didn't know what to think. It had been a mere month since Ireland had just done the same thing. I came to the conclusion that I was in support of the ruling, as long as it didn't infringe on religious rights - a position I still hold today. 

The celebrations were instantaneous. Gay and lesbian couples from all over the country ran to get married. One particular case made me tear up a little; after 54 years of being by each other's side, George Harris and Jack Evans celebrated the news by getting married. They weren't the only ones who had waited decades for a moment like this. I saw people celebrating the news from all over the world, not just those who lived in the U.S. The White House was lit with rainbow colours on the evening of the ruling; former U.S. President Barack Obama called this ruling a "victory for America." Company logos for many businesses were edited to include the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT movement. People took to the streets joyfully waving rainbow flags and banners. The hashtag "#lovewins" was trending on mainstream social media websites. It was a proud day for many all over the globe.

Not many saw it that way. The Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based fundamentalist congregation, predicted that the Supreme Court would rule in favour of same-sex marriage, but not because they wanted it to be that way. In an interview, Ben Phelps, a member of this church, argued that the court will rule in favour of it because "we're in the days of Sodom." He held up signs in front of the Supreme Court Building a mere two months before the ruling that said "God Hates Fags" and "Same-Sex Parents Doom Kids;" other church members who joined Phelps held similar signs like "America is Doomed" and "Fags Doom Nations." While they were not in Washington D.C. at the time of the ruling, they were outspoken about the issue on Twitter and in their local pickets. Another protester, David Grisham, a leader of an anti-homosexuality group known as "Repent Amarillo", believed that the ruling would result in persecution of Christians and that the traditional structure of the family would break down, sparking a societal breakdown with it. 

The Supreme Court ruling of the matter inspired other countries around the world to follow suit. In the years after this ruling, Germany, Australia and Taiwan became among several countries to legalise same-sex marriage. One of the biggest superpowers was leading the way for the LGBT community for the world. Even countries where being gay was frowned upon were starting to change. People saw this moment as an inspiration to be more vocal to call for more support for the community. Will religious freedom be infringed as David Grisham suggested? It's possible. For now, at least, we can still celebrate the anniversary of a significant moment that will be recorded in History textbooks in years to come.