Recently I wrote a story about the Supreme Court decision not to hear appeals to a lower court decision to allow same-sex couples to get married in five states, including Oklahoma. I decided that in addition to providing readers with the facts, I also wanted to weigh in on the decision.

This decision is one of great personal significance to me. It may seem somewhat trivial but not having my marriage recognized in my state was a legitimate concern for me. There are things about Oklahoma that infuriate me to no end and there are even times that I wish I didn’t live in this state, but it is and always will be my home no matter what. Because of the Supreme Court’s decision I will eventually be able to not only get married in my home state, but also have that marriage be formally recognized.

It has always amazed me how someone could think that they have any right to say who can get married and who cannot. Depriving anyone of the basic right to get married is very clearly unconstitutional. To me depriving someone of this privilege is infringing upon their inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness, which is guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence.

Now, however, regardless of what the Governor or any other politician says, same-sex marriage has finally, officially been recognized in Oklahoma and to be honest this decision has been a long time coming. Despite what the opposition says, gay people have a right to the same privileges and protections as any other group in the United States. It is a civil rights issue. This same discrimination has been faced by various groups throughout the history of our country and they have always overcome it, at least in the eyes of the law.

There are still issues to be faced as there is still continued violence against gay people all across the country and there is still a lot of progress to be made. To me it’s about love. It’s about realizing that if two people love each other than they should be able to get married regardless of their sexual orientation. And ultimately it’s about having compassion.

Trust me I know that there is still a lot of prejudice and ignorance but now same-sex couples have the law on our side and that is a victory in itself. This decision is not only a victory for the LGBT community but also a victory for our country and for advocates of love everywhere.