I never felt like a soldier. I marched in the marches, I carried the banners, I endured the dirty looks and the sniggers and being called "faggot". But I never felt like a soldier. I chanted "Shame!" and pointed my finger at the Reagan White House, I gave money and time and sold baked goods, I Acted Up, but I never felt like a soldier. I just felt like a guy trying to live my life, trying to circle the wagons with my brothers and sisters, trying to maintain some level of self-respect and dignity in the face of hate and bigotry. I married my husband at a time when most people would still roll their eyes and smirk at the idea.
I never felt like a soldier, but now, after watching this little video, I do. I realize now that I was fighting, in my own small way. And now, "Gay Pride" doesn't only mean to me that we are proud of what we are, but that we are proud of what we have done.

I'm sure this is the one and only time I'll ever post a politician's speech.

 But this one, well, this one moves me. 

"We are people who believe every child is entitled to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is so much more work to be done to extend the full promise of America to every American. But today, we can say in no uncertain terms that we’ve made our union a little more perfect.

That’s the consequence of a decision from the Supreme Court, but more importantly, it is a consequence of the countless small acts of courage of millions of people across decades who stood up, who came out, talked to parents, parents who loved their children no matter what, folks who were willing to endure bullying and taunts, and stayed strong, and came to believe in themselves and who they were.

And slowly made an entire country realize that love is love.

What an extraordinary achievement, but what a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things; what a reminder of what Bobby Kennedy once said about how small actions can be like pebbles being thrown into a still lake, and ripples of hope cascade outwards and change the world.

Those countless, often anonymous heroes, they deserve our thanks. They should be very proud. America should be very proud."