This afternoon, US District Judge Vaugh Walker overruled California’s "Prop 8" ruling which outlawed gay marriage in the state in a case brought before him by lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies, which argued that the Proposition 8 ballot initiative denying marriage rights to same sex couples in California was unconstitutional. The judge wrote that the case made by gay marriage opponents case "fails to advance any rational bias in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license." This decision will be appealed, so this is not the end for this issue, but it’s certainly a victory for equality and fairness which should be widely celebrated!

In this recent related slideshow, The Nation looked at the status of major gay rights issues including marriage, and the obstacles activists still need to conquer in order to finally achieve equality.