'Tis A Proud Day Indeed

As of 10:00 AM EST this morning, the United States Supreme Court struck down both DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) and California's Prop 8! DOMA was ruled unconstitutional and Prop 8 was dismissed due to "lack of standing". 

So what does this mean to people in the US?

With DOMA no longer in effect, same-sex couples that are legally married on a state level are now recognized on a Federal level. However, it is still up to the state to decide if same-sex marriage is legal in that state. Couples can now file joint taxes, be eligible for Social Security survivor benefits, be put on their spouses insurance if they are a government employee, AND have hospital visitation rights to each other. These are just a few of the many Federal rights DOMA took away from same-sex couples. What's truly amazing, however, is that married same-sex bi-national couples can no longer be separated due to immigration issues. This means approximately 24,700 same-sex couples in the US no longer have to worry about being separated by thousands of miles.

Now onto Proposition 8. Prop 8 being dismissed means that same-sex marriage is now reinstated in California. This makes California the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriage!

People in the nation's capitol, as well as all over the US, celebrated and rejoiced after the Supreme Court's decisions were announced. This is truly a day to be proud to be an American.