A couple of days late, but still worth remembering

June 12 1967 the US Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia on behalf on the right to marry, no matter your race. Until the, there were still places in the US where people with different skin colours were not allowed to marry.

Via Dispatches from the Culture Wars, I came across the public statement (.pdf) by Mildred Loving on the 40th anniversary. It's really worth reading, and I am happy to note that Loving used the occation to support gay marriage.

My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God's plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation's fears and prejudices have given way, and today's young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

Let's work on making this true.