The Supreme Court ruling on Friday, with a 5-to-4 decision, makes same-sex marriage a right in all states in the United States, according to The New York Times.
In a tweet, President Barrack Obama expressed his support to gender equality and even added the hashtag, #LoveWins.
Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else. #LoveWins
— President Obama (@POTUS) June 26, 2015
While social networking sites are filled with mixed views about the historic ruling, here are five books that may deepen your understanding about the LGBT community:
1. Giovanni's Room
Author James Baldwin is remarkable to readers for the boldness of his words. His novel, "Giovanni's Room," shows the story of a young man's struggle to discover himself despite society's expectations. It is described as a heartbreaking tale of love and acceptance set in Paris.
2. Brokeback Mountain
Known as Annie Proulx's masterpiece, two cowboys find an attraction between each other during one summer. The book reveals the deep nature of love itself through the connection between two men, who have gone to different ways.
3. Nightwood
Djuna Barnes' novel is described as exotic and unforgettable. The Guardian says, "the prose has a narcotic quality." The story is made up of lives that revolve around affairs, secrets and gossips. In the end, it revolves around a love between two women.
4. Maurice: A Novel
At a time when homosexuality was illegal, E.M. Forster has written a book about the possibility of love and happiness between two men.
5. Tales of the City
Armistead Maupin tells the story of unique characters, each with different gender and sexuality. It is a series of tangled stories of people's lives filled with tears, laughter and love.
Moreover, there is another piece of writing that clearly expressed what the LGBT community is fighting for. It is not found in books, but was the majority opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, in the decision released by the Supreme Court.
Kennedy writes, "No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.
"As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves.
"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."
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