Elated by today’s historic and long-awaited Supreme Court decision, which would require all U.S. States to offer same-sex marriage, Assembly Member O’Donnell said the following:

I am immensely proud to be American today. The Supreme Court majority opinion affirmed our entire country’s commitment to its founding principles of liberty and equality. LGBT Americans are being told that their right matter, and heir humanity is recognized at a Constitutional level, not considered a matter of public opinion or individual state preference. Today's decision will have a profound impact on so many individual lives. As someone who once abandoned a dream of being an elected official and lived for over a decade in a closeted relationship, I know how important societal recognition is.

Let us rejoice in our hard fought victory, and then use it to keep struggling for true equality, freedom from workplace discrimination, and rights for the transgender community. I know today is just the first of many national victories that will help us achieve equal treatment for all citizens, and I am eager to see what the next generation will achieve with so many more doors open to each of them.