Boston judge rules federal gay marriage ban unconstitutional

Yesterday, a judge in Boston ruled that the federal gay marriage ban is unconstitutional, taking a huge step in the right direction for marriage equality.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro ruled in favor of gay couples’ rights in two separate challenges to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Same-sex unions have been legal in Massachusetts since 2004, as many happy couples that have made the Mass or Bust wedding pilgrimage well know. The state argued that the federal law denied benefits, like Medicaid, to gay married couples in Mass., forcing the state to discriminate against its own citizens. This is a huge breakthrough in precedence for future rulings.
Even so, there’s a long fight ahead, but we’ve got a lot to be thankful for and hopeful about. Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, explains:

Today’s ruling affirms what we have long known: federal discrimination enacted under DOMA is unconstitutional. The decision will be appealed and litigation will continue. But what we witnessed in the courtroom cannot be erased: federal marriage discrimination harms committed same-sex couples and their families for no good reason. Today’s ruling provides increased momentum to the national movement to end exclusion from marriage…The crucial work of changing hearts and minds and winning the freedom to marry in more states is more urgent than ever as we build on today’s momentum and encourage other decision-makers to do the right thing and end exclusion from marriage.