(Got this late yesterday.)
Dear Lucas,
Today we made history.
All of us who stood up for equal justice under law for gay and lesbian Americans—in the courts and in legislatures, in private conversations and at public rallies—challenging discrimination against gay people, not only in the law but in the hearts and minds of neighbors, co-workers and family members: we made today's historic Supreme Court victory possible.
With today's decision striking down the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, gay and lesbian Americans and their families have not only gained legal rights; but shed the unjust stigma that comes with being victims of legally sanctioned discrimination.
I join with so many Americans today in extending my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to a courageous New Yorker named Edith Windsor, who brought the case successfully challenging DOMA. My office filed a brief on behalf of 15 states and the District of Columbia supporting her effort. We argued that DOMA violates same-sex couples' right to equal protection under the law and represents an unprecedented intrusion on the authority of States to regulate marriage and promote equality for their citizens. The Supreme Court agreed, and I am proud that New York was on the right side of history in this case.
Also, it appears that Proposition 8 is dead and millions of Californians will once again enjoy the rights and responsibilities of marriage equality. And while we did not win the fight to overturn state bans on gay marriage today, I am confident the day will come when gay and lesbian couples will enjoy equality under the law in every state in our union.
I am a progressive because I believe in progress. Every day my office fights to defend the fundamental guarantee of equal protection under law on which our nation was founded. And today our nation has moved one giant step closer to fulfilling that founding ideal.
Thank you for all you've done to make this day possible.
Sincerely,
Eric T. Schneiderman