I didn’t think it would happen. I thought a lot of states would pass it, but I didn’t think that the highest court in the nation would would ever say, “I do.” But they did. Yesterday, our country became a better place. The LGBT community was affirmed, and can now have all the legal rights of the heterosexual community when it comes to marriage. The feeling I had when I heard this news was the same feeling I would have if you told me I’d won the freaking lottery and I could buy all the jewelry in the world (God, I’m shallow). It seemed a a new world, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I wanted to put out the American flag (and I never want to put out the American flag).

I have to acknowledge my super smart cousin, Gabriel Rotello, who has worked throughout his life to help make a day like yesterday happen. Here’s to you, Gabe!

Interestingly, it was my dad’s 100th birthday. Now, if you follow this blog, you know I had a complex and not great relationship with my dad, but here’s the thing. He was a liberal’s liberal, Art Friedman. He believed in fairness and equality for all. He taught me to accept everybody, that prejudice of any kind was wrong. And so, I believe my dad would be giddy that  gay marriage became legal in every state of the union the day he turned 100. He might say, “It took long enough,” with a smirk, and his glasses cockeyed on his face. He would think it was the best birthday gift.

There has been so much strife in the past year, too many killings, too much racist violence. And I know that this law doesn’t help or address that. But this is a long time in coming, and it makes us better. It makes every one of us better. And it makes me think maybe we can do better in the race relations department.

I didn’t think it would happen. But because it did, it makes it feel possible that black and white relations might someday become a rainbow, too. Love won. Let’s increase the size of the heart to include everyone of every color.