A Wrap-Up Of Same-Sex Marriage's Big Day At The High Court

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

All right, let's just recap this hour. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 to make same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. We were just speaking to NPR senior editor and correspondent Ron Elving - heard several voices of opposition this hour. Let's take a moment to revisit what President Obama said to say - had to say just a short while ago.

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BARACK OBAMA: Our nation was founded on a bedrock principle - that we are all created equal. The project of each generation is to bridge the meaning of those founding words with the realities of changing times, a never-ending quest to ensure those words ring true for every single American. Progress on this journey often comes in small increments, sometimes two steps forward, one step back, propelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens.

GREENE: That's President Obama. Now, earlier in the program we reached Ijpe DeKoe whose case was at the heart of the Supreme Court's decision today.

IJPE DEKOE: Tom is on the other phone with friends and family right now. As you can well imagine, both our telephones pretty much blew up like Christmas.

GREENE: He and his husband, Tom Kostura, were married in New York in 2011. DeKoe is in the Army Reserves and the legal status of his marriage became complicated when he was stationed at a base in Memphis, Tenn.

DEKOE: As long as I was on the base we were married. And when we stepped off the base into Tennessee, the state law applies and we were not married.

GREENE: DeKoe says many Tennesseans have supported his cause. But I asked him what he would say to those who are not comfortable with the idea of marriage involving same-sex couples.

DEKOE: It's also very hard for people to dislike and distrust what they come to know. So a lot of it comes from folks who don't know us or don't know couples like us. And then as they've gotten to know us, as they've gotten to hear our story, become our friends, they've accepted us.

GREENE: That's Ijpe DeKoe whose case was at the center of today's Supreme Court ruling, declaring same-sex marriage legal across the United States of America. And we have been hearing reaction to this from people on all sides of this debate. A big day at the Supreme Court issuing a ruling on one of the most important cultural questions of our day - the Court decided in a 5 to 4 decision that same-sex marriage is legal across the United States of America. You've been listening to breaking coverage from NPR News. We'll have much more coverage of this decision and reaction online and on the air. Again, the Supreme Court deciding that same-sex marriage is legal across the United States. This is special coverage from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.