In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the – Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.

After the ruling Justice Kennedy eloquently captured the essence of the meaning of marriage for everyone.

“From their beginning to their most recent page, the annals of human history reveal the transcendent importance of marriage.  The lifelong union of a man and a woman always has promised nobility and dignity to all persons, without regard to their station in life.

Marriage is sacred to those who live by their religions and offers unique fulfillment to those who find meaning in the secular realm.  Its dynamic allows two people to find a life that could not be found alone, for a marriage becomes greater than just the two persons.

Rising from the most basic human needs, marriage is essential to our most profound hopes and aspirations.

The centrality of marriage to the human condition makes it unsurprising that the institution has existed for millennia and across civilizations.  Since the dawn of history, marriage has transformed strangers into relatives, binding families, and societies together.

Confucius taught that marriage lies at the foundation of government.

… This wisdom was echoed centuries later and half a world away by Cicero, who wrote,

‘The first bond of society is marriage; next children; and then the family.’   There are untold references to the beauty of marriage in religious and philosophical texts spanning time, cultures, and faiths, as well as in art and literature in all their forms.”

Justice Kennedy concluded:

“ No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”