“Their hope 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.” And with those words from Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court delivered a historic 5-4 decision that makes gay marriage legal across all fifty states. Welcome to the new summer of love. (Sidenote: If you’re in a wedding band, it’s time to step up your game.)

+ Obama: “Those countless, often anonymous heroes, they deserve our thanks. They should be very proud.”

+ Roberts: “Celebrate today’s decision … but do not celebrate the Constitution.”

+ Scalia, not pleased.

+ For those on the front lines, the struggle probably seemed to take forever. But the legalization of same-sex marriage will be studied for years to come because change — legal, political, and social — happened at a pace that was, by historical standards, breathtaking. The Boston Globe with a timeline of same-sex marriage in the US. And from Slate: The stunning 15-year march to marriage equality around the world.