The federal Defense of Marriage Act (1996) is dead, struck down by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Full equality under the law is a human right that should not be abridged by any political body the world over. Race, class, gender, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation are not morally relevant reasons to deny any one or any group such equality.

While I am disappointed the court did not go further and rule all state-level DOMAs to be illegal, the fall of the U.S. federal DOMA is a significant step forward. WBUR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook has an excellent discussion of the policy issues, Supreme Court Rules DOMA Is Unconstitutional.

Image: American and rainbow flags over a dock in Cherry Grove, New York. Michael Lavers, Fire Island News.