June 26th 2015: A Turning Point for Queer Liberation

  In the years before 2015, there were many historically significant events for queer people. While we still faced much legal and intense social oppression, the fight for queer rights and liberation began to pick up speed in the 1960s, and has not stopped since. From the martyr of Harvey Milk that sparked outrage across the country, to the repealing of the homophobic Sodomy Laws in 2003, huge strides were being made to lift queer people, especially gays and lesbians, out of the erased and oppressed state that they suffered through most of the 20th century. 

    In my opinion though, the landmark Supreme Court decision to actually write gay marriage into law was the most historically significant event for the advancement of LGBTQ rights in the 2010s, and maybe even since Stonewall in 1969. While the Supreme Court cannot create social change immediately or lift biases from the minds of America, they do create a solid ruling to go back on. Solidifying the right of gay marriage into the books was, in my view, the government's way of saying "you are equal, and if anyone tries to deny it, then they are wrong." I remember hearing about the law being passed and thinking to myself (before I knew about the nuanced systems of oppression that affect queer people) that me and every other queer person were truly liberated in the United States. It was just such a moment a moment for celebration, happiness, and feelings of victory that it could be felt even by children like me who weren't educated at all on politics. The knowledge that gay people have this law codified by the Supreme Court is and always will be an inspiration for us, making us feel supported and validated.