To whom do you give the most credit for the repeal of DOMA?

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35. I think of people like my uncle

who in the 1950's, in a PA mill town, lived as an openly gay high school student. Sadly, he barely made it to see Stonewall as he died in 1970. I think of the people of Stonewall. I think of the founder of PFLAG who just recently passed. I think of Matthew Sheppard who didn't live to see this day. I think of Lt. Leonard Maltovich who came out on the cover of Time Magazine as an openly gay military man. People like them helped set the foundation for that repeal.

I think of all the gays who lived open lives of integrity and helped change public opinion, so that the marriage equality which seemed so alien and evil in 96, is now favored by a majority of people. I think of the children of gay couples who have fought like lions for their parents, the kid who appeared in the Maine ads, Zach Walls of Iowa, the children of the women in the prop 8 case, and so many others. They put a lie to the notion that gay couples raise defective children.

I think of Edie Windsor who took on what had to seem like a legal nightmare that could take the rest of her life when she lost her Thea. I have to imagine she has spend well over the 300k she paid in estate taxes, in legal fees. But this 83 year old woman pressed on. Through district court, then the appellate level, and finally to SCOTUS.

Finally, I think of the justices that overturned the case, and the presidents that appointed them. Two were from Obama, two from Clinton, and one from Reagan (though another one from Reagan voted against). And, the person who likely deserves the most credit, is whatever gay person it is in Kennedy's life which makes him so pro gay when he is so anti every other minority. We may never know who that gay person is, but he or she likely deserves as much credit as all those I have listed since it is he or she which provided that crucial 5th vote. Which goes to the entire point of this post. Gays living open and authentic lives are what brought us to this day.