--- title: Gay Marriage: Why June 26th Should Be a National Holiday description: It's an important date not just for gay Americans, but for us all canonical: https://time.com/3937884/gay-marriage-supreme-court-june-26/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-26T19:13:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:19.421Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Why June 26 Should be a National Holiday Honoring Progress og:description: It's an important date not just for gay Americans, but for us all og:url: https://time.com/3937884/gay-marriage-supreme-court-june-26/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacfc54df3ffec036/698858ab3c16397244458979/gettyimages-478611844.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: GettyImages-478611844 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why June 26 Should be a National Holiday Honoring Progress twitter:description: It's an important date not just for gay Americans, but for us all twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacfc54df3ffec036/698858ab3c16397244458979/gettyimages-478611844.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why June 26 Should Be a National Holiday to Honor Progress > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=d230201c-9ce5-4a45-a67c-f2d9278b40ee&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Remembering Stonewall [Watch (HLS stream): Remembering Stonewall](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9UkBhruj.m3u8) (2:53)  _Published 2015-06-26. Watch Stonewall bartender talk about the history of the LGBT movement in NYC_  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jun 26, 2015 7:13 PM UTC  Carlos McKnight, from Washington, D.C., waves a rainbow colored flag outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, June 26, 2015\. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) Carlos McKnight, from Washington, D.C., waves a rainbow colored flag outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, June 26, 2015\. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) Andrew Harrer—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jun 26, 2015 7:13 PM UTC When several historic events happen on the exact same day, it’s a sign: June 26 should be a national holiday. On Friday the Supreme Court ruled that gay Americans had the right to marry in every state in the country. On the exact same date two years ago, the same court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, allowing same-sex couples to access federal benefits. And when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex sexual activity should be legal in every state in the _Lawrence vs Texas_ ruling in 2003, it did so on … June 26\. It’s a coincidence, but also much more than that. Because June 26 isn’t just an important date for gay Americans– it’s a date that symbolizes how rapidly change can happen in America, how quickly our attitudes can evolve, and how, when used correctly, our system is one that propels us all towards a more equal state. In other words, June 26 is a date that represents what happens when America works the way it’s supposed to work. Only 11 years ago, in 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay couples to marry. In a little over a decade, gay marriage has gone from a [provocative pipe dream](http://www.newrepublic.com/article/79054/here-comes-the-groom) to a legal and constitutional right. In that time, the battle has been fought in the legislatures, in the courts, and in the American national conscience. In [2004,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FXAVqrqr4j4&feature=youtu.be) then-Senate candidate Barack Obama said he believed marriage was “between a man and a woman.” In [2010, ](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hours-repealing-ban-gays-troops-obama-mulls-sex/story?id=12459702#.T6qItsh17jU)he said his views on same-sex marriage were “evolving.” This morning in [2015,](https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse) the White House Twitter avatar turned rainbow-colored, in celebration of the Supreme Court’s decision. ### 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 June 26 isn’t just a symbol of marriage equality or gay rights– it’s a day that commemorates a collective change of mind, the American ability to choose freedom and equality. But wait! Isn’t June 26 a little too close to July 4? If we had two national holidays within the course of a week, wouldn’t the U.S. economy come grinding to a halt and the world implode? Not necessarily. Just think about how glorious it would be to have two national holidays just over a week apart. It would be the perfect timing for a summer vacation, one that all Americans could enjoy with their families. Maybe they’d celebrate by taking trip to an American beach town, staying in an American hotel, eating at American restaurants. Maybe they’d fly somewhere on an American airline or grill some American burgers. [Studies have shown](http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2014/02/28/take-a-vacation-its-good-for-productivity-and-the-economy-according-to-a-new-study/) that vacations are good for the economy, and that if everyone took their allotted vacation time, it would support 1.2 million jobs and create $21 billion in tax revenue. June 26 and July 4 could be sister holidays– both celebrations of freedom, equality, and the promise of America. ## Transcript Before the Stonewall riots, it was a different time. The Homosexuals, with CBS News Correspondent Mike Wallace. Homosexuality is an enigma. Even in this era of bold sexual mores, it remains a subject that people find disturbing. There were a lot of people living in the village, but mostly, people were bridge and tunnel. I came from Brooklyn or Queens for the weekend. My friends all did from Long Island, and it was a lot of fun. I mean, it was closeness, because a lot of people, family didn't know that their sons and daughters were gay. I've been at Stonewall on and off 45 years on this block 47 years. We come here once in a while to dance. The windows were painted black and blocked of. If you had dressed as a woman you had on three articles of male clothing underneath. And if you're a woman dressed as a man, same thing. Otherwise you went to jail for impersonation. Cuz remember, gay life was a disease in those days. [ MUSIC ] 1969, when the police raided the bar, nobody knew what was gonna happen. They were pushing and shoving everybody around it. These guys were nasty. And people fought back. Nobody knows that spark that started it, but people saying, " Oh [ BLEEP ], we've had enough ." And after it was over, we figured that's it. It was a raid. We looked at it as a raid. It was over. Nothing was going to happen anymore. Who knew? But the Stonewall rebellion made every newspaper, was on television every day. And people just killed after that, newspaper articles, magazines which made it bigger and bigger until we became where it all started. [ CROSSTALK ] Sylviarivera was one of the icons in the village in those days, and she would preach to people about equality. We didn't even understand drag queens, and cross dressers, and transgenders because we were just used to us. And Silvia was always fighting for the rights of everybody, she's like one of the originals. She would talk to people at Lamder, the Madison society, everything to get equality. But nobody would listen in those days. Revolution now ! >> We got to teach the younger generation what the older generation went through for them. but we fought hard for them because they're going to carry it on. 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