On Monday, President Barack Obama took his oath for the second time as the 44th president of the United States, coincidentally on the same day the nation was celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. His bold, liberal inaugural speech talked of the balance between the past and present, and how changes are necessary to move forward. One of those changes: accepting same-sex marriage.
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths—that all of us are created equal—is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall,” he said, taking us through the history of civil rights movements, from women’s suffrage to African Americans, and finally the first step in the march toward LGBT equality.
“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law,” he continued, “for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”
The crowd of nearly one million cheered, as the hint of federal promise rose through the air. Just as President Obama was the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage, this was another landmark—the first time gay rights has been advocated in the high-profile inaugural speech.
With a promising year ahead for same-sex marriage (eight states are considering legislation and the Supreme Court will rule on Prop 8 and DOMA), the time for nationwide change is upon us, and we can only hope that the President stands by those words he made on that cold, gray January morning in Washington, D.C.
Brittny Drye is the senior editor at Equally Wed, the nation’s premier online magazine for gay and lesbian weddings and honeymoons. Follow her on Twitter @BrittnyDrye.
