My train of thought is completely derailed as I sit at Nature’s Brew Cafe. A group of men walk in and they are ecstatically greeted by another group of men sitting in front of me. They embrace tightly, big smiles and pats on the back. I remove my ear buds, curious to what all the fuss is about.

“It happened, can you believe it? It’s unreal.”

“No man, it’s real. It’s really real.”

They all sit down, but the energy, the happiness…it doesn’t go away. The people around them offer their smiles in support, and even a slight wave of a fist in the air; a victory pump. The cafe is filled with college students, not a single one of them looking on in distaste or hate. I’m only an onlooker, and the moment has come and gone, but for that instant I witnessed history.

The Supreme Court has ruled gay marriage legal in all 50 states – what a monumental step for people, humanity, and love.

I’m a straight, white girl in 2015, never knowing what it’s like to fight for my rights as a woman, and never being judged by the color of my skin. I’ve never had to fight for my right to love because I have always been attracted to the opposite sex. On occasion I’ll have trouble at an airport, because Dina Hussein Al-Ziab just screams terrorism, but if that’s the worst of my struggle, I’m very lucky indeed.

Yesterday though, was the first time I really stood back and realized how fucked it is that this was an issue for so long. The idea of loving who you love has always resonated as a very simple idea to me; Emotions cannot be helped, or fought. They are as undeniable as your need to breathe. Love is a force that drives you, consumes you, lifts beyond your own limits. How can anyone look at someone else and tell them it’s wrong to love someone because of gender, race, or any other differentiating factor?

What bothers me most is people’s inability to see things from a different perspective. Consider a world where a woman loving a man was deemed inappropriate. I would have no idea what to do with those feelings. I can look at a woman and admire her beauty, but seriously,  nothing gets me going more than a well groomed beard and some nice shoulders. Oh, baby. That desire and attraction is embedded in me, and it was never something I questioned. Only recently (yesterday) did I realize I took this right for granted. For some men, a well-groomed beard and some nice shoulders have them going from 6 to midnight. I get you, guys. Men are hott! Get it! It just comes down to a simple truth that there is nothing wrong with feeling how you feel, and loving who you love. Now why is that so hard to accept?

The hate in the world can only fuel the love we have and bring it to new heights. Today in this cafe, I saw what love is. I see the support, and I see hope for what this world can truly be someday as long as these new generations continue to teach acceptance instead of intolerance. Let the haters try and stop lovers from marrying. Let them try to stop issuing marriage licenses all together. Let them picket and spew their venomous words. They will never win. Let rainbows fly and love fly higher.

Be that person who will always step up for someone else’s rights. Stand up for the moms who have only ever dreamed of secure futures for their children and their partners. Support the fathers who taught their children to love without fear despite the the cruelty of society. This is for the people who have fought from freedom and equal rights, and for the people who have passed before they ever saw their dreams come to fruition. This is for anyone who even embodies the capacity to love so deeply, regardless of who that love is meant for. This is for all the tears of joys shed yesterday, and for all the people who finally married their loved ones.

I’m looking forward to attending some beautiful weddings in the future. Celebrations of love resonates through the universe and to everyone around you. Can you feel it?

#LoveWon

P.S. The tool bar on wordpress.com is a rainbow. Fuck yeah.