Here's how the SCOTUS judges ruled on Obergefell:
#SCOTUS rules in favor of marriage equality in historic 5-4 decision | The Judges and how they ruled: http://t.co/LID3If3Wt9 via @msnbc
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) June 26, 2015
The day was filled with celebration for equal marriage supporters (including me), while opponents were fuming mad.
The path to marriage equality in the USA:
10.06.1968, MCC: At a time when anti-LGBTQ sentiments were prevalent across Christianity in the USA, the Metropolitian Community Church was founded, with its 1st church in Huntington Park, California.
06.28.1969, New York State: The Stonewall Riots, which begun the seeds for LGBT rights activism in the USA.
05.18.1970, Minnesota: Jack Baker and Michael McConnell were denied a marriage license in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
10.15.1971, Baker v. Nelson: SCOTUS ruled 9-0 to uphold the ban on same-sex marriage licenses in Minnesota (and elsewhere).
01.01.1973, Maryland: Maryland was the 1st state to ban marriage equality.
11.07.1978, California: The Briggs Initiative, which would have banned the state's public school teachers from supporting LGBTQ rights and LGBTQ teachers, was rejected by voters 58%-42%.
11.27.1978, California: San Francisco mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk (the first openly gay elected official in California) were assassinated.
06.30.1986, Bowers v. Hardwick: A 5-4 decision that upheld sodomy bans against homosexuals, which got overturned in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas.
10.20.1991, Fox: Roc episode "Can't Help Loving That Man" was the 1st same-sex wedding shown on US television.
11.03.1992, Colorado: In Colorado, voters passed Amendment 2 53%-47%, an amendment opposing protection of sexual orientation. The law was later overturned in 1996 by SCOTUS in Romer v. Evans.
02.28.1994, USA: Don't Ask, Don't Tell became law.
05.20.1996, Romer v. Evans: The 6-3 ruling that really got the ball rolling on LGBTQ rights. The ruling invalidated Colorado's Amendment 2 that was passed in 1992.
09.21.1996, USA: President Bill Clinton signs Defense of Marriage Act into law. The law was later struck down in 2013.
11.03.1998, Two States: Hawaii and Alaska were the 1st states to pass constitutional bans on marriage equality.
11.07.2000, Nebraska: Nebraska became the 1st state to pass a constitutional ban on marriage equality and civil unions or other similar same-sex unions.
Although Al Gore won the majority of electoral votes, George W. Bush was elected (or awarded) President thanks to SCOTUS's Bush v. Gore verdict.
06.26.2003, Lawrence v. Texas: A 6-3 decision that overturned the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick ruling and sodomy bans still in effect at that time were no longer law.
11.18.2003, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health: Massachusetts becomes the 1st state to have marriage equality, via its Supreme Court. On May 17th, 2004, it became official.
08.03.2004, Missouri: Missouri passed a constitutional ban on marriage equality.
11.02.2004, Multiple States: As Bush 43 won re-election, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Utah, and Oregon all banned marriage equality at the ballot boxes.
07.04.2005, UCC: The United Church of Christ became the 1st mainline Christian denomination to allow same-sex marriages to be conducted in their churches. NOTE: Not all UCC churches allow this.
11.07.2006, Multiple States: Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin ban marriage equality at the ballot boxes.
11.07.2006, Arizona: Arizona was the 1st state to reject a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
11.04.2008, Multiple States: As President Obama won the election, three states (Arizona, California, and Florida) passes bans on marriage equality.
11.04.2008, California: Prop 8 passed by the voters, resulting in protests for days across the nation. The proposition was overturned in 2013 by SCOTUS.
04.07.2009, Vermont: Vermont became the 1st state to pass marriage equality via legislative means after a veto override.
06.03.2009, New Hampshire: The state of New Hampshire is the 2nd state to pass marriage equality legislatively (and 1st without a veto override).
08.21.2009, ELCA: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America allows same-sex marriages in its churches. NOTE: Not all ELCA churches allow this.
11.03.2009, Maine: The voters of Maine passes a referendum overturning marriage equality. Maine later got marriage equality restored in 2012.
12.18.2009, DC: The District of Columbia allows marriage equality. It took effect on 03.03.2010.
08.11.2010, CNN Poll: The 1st poll to show marriage equality support at 50%+/.
12.15.2010, US House: The US House voted to repeal DADT.
12.18.2010, US Senate: The US Senate voted to repeal DADT. The repeal takes effect on 09.20.2011.
02.23.2011, USA: President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder announced that they will no longer uphold DOMA.
05.06.2012, USA: Joe Biden became the 1st sitting Vice President to endorse marriage equality. A couple of days later, his ticketmate (re-)endorsed marriage equality.
05.08.2012, North Carolina: North Carolina became the final state to pass a constitutional ban on marriage equality.
05.09.2012, USA: President Barack Obama became the 1st sitting President to endorse marriage equality. By doing so, he reverted back to his 1996-era position on this issue.
09.04.2012, Democratic Party: The Democratic Party became the 1st major party to endorse marriage equality.
11.06.2012, Multiple States: The 1st states to pass/uphold marriage equality via referendum were Maine, Maryland, and Washington. Minnesota rejected a constitutional ban on marriage equality. President Obama was re-elected.
02.14.2013, Illinois: Illinois State Senate votes to legalize marriage equality.
03.18.2013, USA: Hillary Clinton endorses marriage equality, reversing her earlier opposition to the topic.
04.04.2013, US Senate: Sen. Bill Nelson (D)'s endorsement of marriage equality puts the US Senate into a pro-marriage equality majority. That majority was later broken when the GOP took control in January 2015, after a massive wave in November 2014.
06.26.2013, United States v. Windsor: A 5-4 ruling that struck down Section 3 of DOMA.
06.26.2013, Hollingsworth v. Perry: On the same day as DOMA being struck down, California's Prop 8 has been invalidated and overturned in a 5-4 decision.
11.05.2013, Illinois: SB10 passes the House and sent back to the Senate because of amendment changes. It also passed the Senate, thus sending the bill to Gov. Pat Quinn.
11.20.2013, Illinois: Gov. Quinn signs SB10 into law. Law takes effect on 06.01.2014. Several counties started earlier.
04.28.2014, North Carolina: General Synod of the United Church of Christ v. Cooper, the first lawsuit from a religious denomination opposing marriage equality bans. The ban was struck down on 10.10.2014.
06.19.2014, PC(USA): The PC(USA) allows same-sex marriages in its churches. The vote was sent to its presbyteries for final approval. NOTE: Not all PC(USA) churches allow this.
11.05.2014, Missouri: Just a few weeks before the Darren Wilson Grand Jury decision came down, Missouri's same-sex marriage ban ruled unconstitutional.
01.16.2015, SCOTUS: SCOTUS took four marriage cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee (which consists of the 6th Circuit Court), and consolidates it into one case known as Obergefell v. Hodges.
03.17.2015, PC(USA): With the Presbytery of the Palisades voting to approve of marriage equality, the PC(USA) officially allows marriage equality.
06.26.2015, Obergefell v. Hodges: A 5-4 decision granting marriage equality to all 50 states, DC, and the territories of the USA.
07.01.2015, Episcopal Church: Just a few days after the SCOTUS verdict, the Episcopal Church allows same-sex marriages in its churches. NOTE: Not all Episcopal churches allow this.
That's been your long path to the verdict.
