Obama Celebrates 'Those Countless, Often Anonymous Heroes' Who Pushed Gay Marriage

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that gay marriage is legal nationwide is a “victory for America,” President Barack Obama said, declaring that justice had arrived for same-sex couples “like a thunderbolt.”

During a short speech Friday in the White House Rose Garden, Obama called the decision the culmination of decades of activism by proponents of same-sex marriage. “Those countless, often anonymous heroes, they deserve our thanks,” he said. “They should be very proud.”