Landmark Supreme Court Ruling Will Affect the Americas and the Rest of the World

In a landmark ruling, the United States Supreme Court has held that every state must license same-sex couples for civil marriage and recognize same-sex marriages celebrated elsewhere. This is a triumph for the constitutional principles of equal protection and the fundamental right to marry. This is in an enormous victory for all LGBT people and same-sex couples. Arent Fox is gratified to have argued vigorously for hundreds of first responders and FBI officers who every day prove their capability and dedication to society by protecting us even while they were left unprotected by state marriage laws.

People in many countries especially in Latin America will look to this decision with great hope. The greatest forces on both sides were lined up to debate the reasons to prevent same-sex couples from being able to marry. Dozens of expert organizations – doctors, sociologists, economist, historians, international law scholars, and many others – invested great energy and thought on this issue and came down squarely on the side of marriage equality. Every national culture is distinct and special and must be respected, but no culture anywhere can be allowed to denigrate people on the basis of their sexual orientation or desire to create a family with a person of their own choosing.