Today, we witnessed history as the Supreme Court of the United States echoed the Founding Fathers who wrote our Declaration of Independence, who envisioned that all Americans would have the right to, among other things, the pursuit of happiness. In the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of LGBT Americans and their right to marry the loves of their lives. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion.
Not only have we at Hotspots Media Group chronicled the life commitments of so many of you over the years, we have also seen people in our own family enter into the bond of marriage. Our publisher, Peter Clark, as well as editor-in-chief of Genre Latino, Ian Maloney, are both married to the loves of their lives. Both of them would like to let you know what this momentous decision means to them.
“My husband, Cleto and I have been together as a loving couple for more than thirty years. We have two sons and three grandchildren. Eleven years ago we chose to get married in Canada because we could, and our families joined in what turned out to be the celebration of our lifetime. Traveling abroad, we proudly entered most developed countries as family and felt welcome. Returning home to the U.S. was a crap shoot at the border depending on the mood of the Customs Officer on duty (especially the bigots). I am so proud that America has finally caught up with so many other nations who recognized that the government has no right to mandate what goes on in the bedrooms of the nation. This is the watershed moment we have all been waiting for. Just remember that many are still fighting for civil rights that were federally mandated in the ’60s. So celebrate the moment, but let’s continue to stand for what’s right as we have a lot of work to do protecting out newly-found rights as equal citizens under the law.” -Peter Clark, Publisher, Hotspots Media Group
“Last month, I married the man of my dreams. Today, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage is a right that everyone in the LGBT community should enjoy. I am so proud to be an American today and it’s great that all of the hard work and sacrifice has paid off for the people who have 
fought hard for all of us. Let the wedding bells ring.” -Ian Maloney, Editor-in-Chief, Genre Latino
We here at Hotspots Media Group are absolutely elated by this historic decision, and we know you are too. We will be bringing you coverage relating to this decision starting today across our print and online platforms. Join the party later today wherever you are by locating the Equality Florida’s “Day of Decision” celebration closest to you. You can find that list online at hotspots.lgbt or by going to Equality Florida’s website directly at eqfl.org/lovemustwin.
Congratulations to all of you. We did it!
