--- title: Gay Marriage US Supreme Court Ruling: Obama Declares 'Victory' description: "This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts. " Obama said Friday canonical: https://time.com/3937851/obama-same-sex-supreme-court/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-26T16:19:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:02:46.673Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama: 'This Ruling Is a Victory for America" og:description: In the wake of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that allows same-sex marriage og:url: https://time.com/3937851/obama-same-sex-supreme-court/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6aa9ecfffa47951c/698858898e060174524612b0/ap_157719803591.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Barack Obama og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama: 'This Ruling Is a Victory for America" twitter:description: In the wake of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that allows same-sex marriage twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6aa9ecfffa47951c/698858898e060174524612b0/ap_157719803591.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama Declares 'Victory' After Historic Same-Sex Marriage Decision by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 26, 2015 4:19 PM UTC  President Barack Obama pauses while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have the right to marry anywhere in the US. President Barack Obama pauses while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have the right to marry anywhere in the US.Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 26, 2015 4:19 PM UTC President Obama declared “our union a little more perfect” on Friday after the Supreme Court [ruled same-sex couples have the constitutional right to marriage](http://time.com/3937244/supreme-court-gay-marriage-decision/). Speaking from the Rose Garden on the second day in a row that the Supreme Court [handed down a historic ruling](http://time.com/3935707/supreme-court-obamacare-affordable-care/), Obama said Friday’s landmark decision could be credited not only to the Supreme Court, but also to the “countless small acts of courage” of gays, lesbians and allies who stood strong in the face of adversity over decades. “What a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things,” Obama said Friday, speaking for just under 10 minutes. “What a reminder of what Bobby Kennedy once said about how small actions can be like pebbles being thrown into a still lake and ripples of hope cascade outwards and change the world.” ### See Scenes of Celebration After Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Gay rights supporters celebrate after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, June 26, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA  John Becker, right, hugs his friend and fellow LGBT advocate Paul Guequierre, outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 26, 2015. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Manuel Balce Ceneta—AP Though many Republican lawmakers stand firm in their belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman, there has been a seismic shift in the country’s feeling on the subject. On Friday, the Supreme Court affirmed that point of view, declaring that states do not have the right to keep same-sex couples from getting married, and that gay and lesbian couples have the legal right to marry in the U.S. Obama’s celebration of Friday’s ruling came just one day after he declared “victory” for his signature health care law, which the Supreme Court saved from being upended, and he used the same word to describe the same-sex marriage decision. “It’s a victory for gay and lesbian couples who have fought so long for their basic civil rights. It’s a victory for their children, whose families will now be recognized as equal to any other,” Obama said Friday. “And this ruling is a victory for America. This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts. When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free.” Obama said that though the U.S. was founded on the principle that all were created equal, each generation has faced its own test to ensure that those words ring true for all. “Progress on this journey often comes in small increments. Sometimes two steps forward, one step back, compelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens,” he said. “And then sometimes there are days like this, when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.” ### Silent No More: Early Days in the Fight for Gay Rights  Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, California, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay Pride, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay Activists Alliance, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights rally, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights event, 1971. 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