ermont and Iowa have declared “war on traditional values,” said Samuel Rodriguez in The Washington Post. By becoming the third and fourth states to legalize gay marriage, they have demonstrated that the sacred institution that safeguards our families and our way of life is in jeopardy, even in the heartland. “Ultimately, the Christian right and the GOP alone cannot defend traditional marriage”—we all have to stand up and fight.

Fears that opening civil marriage to gay couples would “destroy marriage and corrupt society” have already proven untrue, said the Burlington, Vt., Free Press in an editorial. Vermont legislators did their state and our nation proud when they recognized that, and went on record saying that denying someone a civil right over their sexual orientation is wrong. “It will take more than state recognized marriage to end the discrimination gay and lesbian members of our community face, but full equality is hardly possible without it.”

The good news is pouring in, said Andrew Sullivan in The Atlantic. Council leaders in Washington, D.C., also just voted to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. For gay couples, “it has been such a long journey, but we can see the mountaintop now.”