After years of being denied the option to legally marry the partner they love, at last the dream will come true for same-sex couples in Minnesota shortly after midnight on Thursday.
In Minneapolis, Mayor R.T. Rybak will kick off the new era in the City Hall rotunda when he officiates the unions of Margaret Miles and Cathy ten Broeke, and Al Giraud and Jeff Isaacson.
As with any wedding, the occasion will be joyous for the happy couples and their friends and families. They also mark a moment in state history that finally closes one of the last bastions of legal discrimination. That's worth celebrating, too.
It's been a good few years and months in the struggle for gay rights. During the same year that they were allowed to marry in this and several other states, gay couples also received affirmation from the nation's highest court. Last month the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government must recognize same-sex marriages and provide the same benefits that other married couples receive.
Yet another significant contribution to the cause came from Pope Francis this week, during a wide-ranging, unexpected news conference. While flying from Brazil to Italy, the pontiff told reporters that he has no right to "judge" gay people.
"If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn't be marginalized,'' the pope said.
The shift in tone was significant, coming from the top authority in the Roman Catholic Church, although church doctrine will continue to teach that marriage means one man, one woman. If nothing else, the pope's remarks will open the door for more meaningful discussion within the church.
While the legal decisions and talk of tolerance are important, they will not automatically change deeply ingrained attitudes and prejudice. Polls continue to show deep divides among Americans on gay marriage, with many objections based on religious teachings.
