Last Wednesday was a glorious day here in the great state of Texas. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia struck down Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage, ruling the 2005 ban to be unconstitutional. 

However, this doesn’t mean same-sex couples can now run to the altar just yet. Judge Garcia also put a stay on the ruling, so now it will have to go before the Fifth Circuit of Appeal, New Orleans.

I am a Texan, born and bred, and I love this state. But sometimes Texas can be a hard state to love, especially when Gov. Rick Perry or Attorney General Greg Abbott open their mouths. However, Wednesday was not one of those days. Upon hearing the ruling, I fell back in love with the Lone Star State.

I understand there are people out there who do not share in my joy and excitement over this ruling. As one of the Viewpoints editors at Hilltop Views, I would be remiss to not accept that people have differing opinions. Despite that reality, I cannot help but smile when I think about the ruling.

After the same-sex marriage debacle in Ohio earlier this year, it looked like tackling the issue in the more conservative states was going to be a long, drawn out battle. However, now that the same-sex marriage ban in Texas has been ruled unconstitutional, I have a renewed sense of hope that soon we won’t have to fight for this much longer.

Yes, it is true that in 2005 Texas voters approved legislation that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, but that was nearly 10 years ago. The amazing thing about people is that sometimes they change their minds, or better yet, come to their senses.

Polls from this decade have shown that more than half of Texans support marriage equality for same-sex couples. 

Sorry, Perry, but it looks like the voters really do support same-sex marriages. Times in this country are changing, so stop trying to hold us back.

In 2005, one state, Massachusetts, had legalized same-sex marriage. Now, almost a decade later, 17 states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage. In that time span, we also elected our first African-American president and legalized marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington. We are a different country than we were back then.

Now that the ruling is going before the Fifth Circuit of Appeals, I can only hope that the judge sees the senselessness in denying same-sex couples the right to marry. As Judge Garcia stated, there is “no legitimate reason” to deny them that right.

While we have been focused on what a momentous occasion this has been for Texas, the Lone Star State was not the only southern state this week to make great strides toward equality for the LGBTQ community.

On Wednesday, a federal judge in Kentucky struck down part of the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, ordering the Kentucky government to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state. While the state still has a same-sex marriage ban in effect, this is a step in the right direction.

In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses to deny service to the LGBTQ community, on the grounds that it protected store owners religious freedom. 

Arizona faced a lot of backlash from businesses and voters for passing a bill that legalized discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. 

Call me an optimist, but it seems like we may achieve marriage equality in all 50 states by 2015, especially if the Supreme Court decides to back the constitutionality of same-sex marriages. 

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