Flashback: Love for daughter at the center of gay marriage history

On the morning of November 18, 2003, I was in my third-grade gym class. My mothers, however, were just getting the news that they, along with six other couples, had won the right to marry from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. They immediately jumped in the car, drove to my school and burst into my gym class screaming, "We won! We won!" I ran over, we embraced and then they left to meet the lawyers and the press while I went back to class. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Even at eight years old, I knew that the case was a monumental triumph, but I wouldn't really appreciate the full impact of what that day's decision meant until later in life.

On my parent's wedding day, May 17, 2004, my mothers and I walked from Boston City Hall to the courthouse, marriage license in hand. Flanked by police, we were completely surrounded by well-wishers, news cameras and protesters. I had never felt so supported and scared in my life.

Walking with us was our lawyer, Mary Bonauto, whose courage, perseverance and genius was at the center of that historic ruling that bears our name — Goodridge.

Later on that day, I would watch my two mothers say "I do" in front of family, friends and the news media. We would drive away in our blue VW Beetle, metal cans bouncing behind us with "just married" written on our car. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

During my freshman year of high school, I was sitting in the library one day when friends showed me a picture of my mothers in our U.S. history textbook. I immediately burst into tears. By that point in my life, we had been recognized on the street countless times and had even been grand marshals in two parades, but the constant recognition had died down. It was the first time in a while that I felt acknowledged for our incredible achievement.

And then we began to see momentum. Two years ago, section three of the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down in United States v. Windsor, allowing legally-married same-sex couples to gain access to all-important federal protections that come from marriage. Upon hearing the news, I was overjoyed. There had been years of disappointment, even set backs, after the Massachusetts decision, but little by little freedom began to sweep the country.

A year ago, our family was interviewed by MSNBC. At the time of the interview, 17 states had officially legalized marriage for same-sex couples. Three days later, it was 18, and a little more than five months after that, the number climbed to 32.

Today, there are 37 states where same-sex couples can legally marry, seven states where bans on marriage have been ruled unconstitutional, four states where there are cases are awaiting a ruling, and two states where lawsuits have been filed.

As a (almost) 20 year-old college student, I have watched people in 36 other states embrace marriage equality in the wake of our once unthinkable victory. The most critical moment lies ahead, of course. My family will be watching and hoping along with millions of our fellow citizens when Mary Bonauto, one of my personal heroes, asks the Supreme Court to recognize the right of every American to marry the person they love.

When I was three years old, I asked my parents a simple question: "If you love each other, then why aren't you married?" It's as simple as that — love. It is my hope that the question I asked to my parents so long ago never has to be asked again.

Annie Goodridge is a freshman at Oberlin College majoring in math.

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