reuters:

A federal appeals court in Boston found on Thursday that a U.S. law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman unconstitutionally denies federal benefits to lawfully married same-sex couples in a ruling that promises to push the issue of gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The ruling on the 1996 law, the Defense of Marriage Act, marked a victory for gay rights groups and U.S. President Barack Obama, whose administration announced last year it considered the law unconstitutional and would no longer defend it.

READ MORE: Court says marriage law discriminates against gay couples 

coolchicksfromhistory:

todaysdocument:

“Separate is not equal”
On May 17, 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separate but equal public schools violated the 14th Amendment.  On May 31, 1955, Chief Justice Earl Warren issued this decree, ruling how desegregation was to be carried out. The plan directs that schools be desegregated under the control of Federal district judges “with all deliberate speed.”

Although the named plaintiff was a man (Oliver Brown), the other 12 Kansan plaintiffs were women: Darlene Brown, Lena Carper, Sadie Emmanuel, Marguerite Emerson, Shirley Fleming, Zelma Henderson, Shirley Hodison, Maude Lawton, Alma Lewis, Iona Richardson, and Lucinda Todd.  Oliver Brown was filing on behalf of his daughter Linda who traveled over a mile to attend a black school because she wasn’t allowed to attend the white elementary school seven blocks from her home.  

theanimalblog:

Submitted by: fiftythirdandthird

ishawaii:

After the storm🌊 — photo taken by skye_3

natureconservancy:

Help protect nature’s future.

theanimalblog:

A koala chews on gum leaves at the inner-city wildlife park in Sydney, Australia. This week Australia listed the koala as a threatened species in some areas.  Photograph: WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images

deliriumofdesire:

padma

Om..for peace within!