By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Love wins. Make no mistake: Years from now, when we look back upon the Supreme Court’s ruling that made same-sex marriage legal across our nation, we will wonder how we ever treated our gay and lesbian neighbors as anything less than equal. For a long time, even those that would be our closest allies declared their support for LGBT equality, but did not support civil marriage for gays and lesbians, or offered civil unions as an inadequate substitute. But equality is not possible without civil marriage. It is one of the foundations of our society, reflected in the numerous ways that our federal government recognizes marriage through the more than 1,000 benefits, rights and protections that are provided to citizens based on whether they are married. A society that provides full participation and inclusion for our family members, friends, neighbors and citizens cannot exist until civil marriage is a right for all. That day has come.

The Supreme Court rightly took the first step two years ago, when it struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) so that citizens around the country in same-sex marriages would receive the same federal protections as any other married couple. As I said then, we live in a pluralistic society that celebrates the freedom for people to hold varying opinions, but one thing should unite us—that we are treated equally in the eyes of our government, and the principle that our country treats each of us the same: as citizens.

With this most recent ruling, everyone can now make a commitment to the person they love and access all the benefits that all married couples hold. A widow or widower can receive their partner’s Social Security benefits. Same-sex spouses have access to federal protections for continued health coverage (COBRA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and will not have to pay state taxes on gifts and inheritances from their partner, the same way different sex spouses can gift real estate and bank accounts to their spouse. And those who fight to protect our nation can finally have the full benefits of marriage. Federal law meant that even after the DOMA ruling two years ago, veterans in same-sex marriages could not access the same disability compensation, pensions, burial rights and more benefits provided through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. That denial of benefits to members of our Armed Forces is a stain no more.

Extending benefits to married same-sex couples regardless of which state they live in is obviously important, but the freedom to marry is about more than taxation and federal benefits. It is about inclusive, stable and strong communities. In Somerville, we know that every issue is connected, and part of creating a strong community is supporting strong family units. Our city and our Commonwealth became stronger 11 years ago when same-sex couples could make that commitment to each other. Now our entire country will become stronger because our fellow citizens everywhere can make that commitment.

It’s about stronger communities, and a stronger nation. And it’s about love—recognizing love, celebrating love and encouraging love. It can’t be said any clearer than in Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion: the hope of gays and lesbians who want to marry is “not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.” Love is love. Why should we ever want to stand in its way?

This is an important step for human rights, but as I noted last month in this space, there is still be work to do even despite the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the freedom to marry. More than half of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people still live in states where they could lose their job, be denied access to public accommodations, or have their children not protected from discrimination because of who their parents love. Full equality means that members of the LGBT community must have the same rights for medical decisions, adoptions, and workplace protections as any heterosexual person.

The work continues, but today we should pause and celebrate an amazing moment in our country’s history. Never let anyone tell you there’s no point in trying to change the world for the better. Never let anyone tell you’ve got to wait another lifetime before the system is ready to do the right thing. No longer is it same-sex marriage. It’s just marriage. It’s the same. It’s equal. Love wins.