In a historic day for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued two landmark rulings that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and reaffirmed Californians' right to have same-sex marriages.
In the wake of those rulings, the plaintiffs in each case, gay rights advocates, and socially liberal politicians reacted with joy.
1. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's personal and office Twitter accounts adopted new avatars featuring rainbows. The city filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of overturning DOMA.
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2. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer also updated his Twitter avatar for the occasion.
3. So, too, did the American Civil Liberties Union.
4. Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the DOMA case, "exploded in screams and sobs" upon learning the Supreme Court had ruled in her favor, according to the New Yorker. "I wanna go to Stonewall right now!" she shouted.
5. President Barack Obama, who earlier in the day tweeted his support for the DOMA ruling, called Windsor to congratulate her Wednesday afternoon.
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6. Obama also called the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 case to congratulate them on their victory.
7. …and the whole exchange was captured on live TV:
8. Prior to that call, the victorious plaintiffs celebrated outside the Supreme Court:
9. Meanwhile, back in California:
10. And this:
11. Almost immediately after the rulings, Google launched an Easter egg that displayed a rainbow banner when users searched terms like "gay" and "homosexuality."
12. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) — the first openly gay senator in U.S. history — said in a statement that the court had "reaffirmed our founding belief that all Americans are created equal under the law."
The debate over marriage equality is about fairness – about whether gay and lesbian Americans deserve to be treated just like their family members, their friends, and their neighbors. It’s about opportunity – about whether every American gets to dream the same dreams, chase the same ambitions, and have the same shot at success. And it’s about freedom –the freedom to love, the freedom to commit, the freedom to build a family. Most of all, it’s about whether the progress our country has made will be reflected in our laws.
13-16. Many others expressed similar sentiments, in 140 characters or less, on Twitter:
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, RawStory, and Business Insider.
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