U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court today issued its opinion regarding the same-sex marriage case, Obergefell v. Hodges:

“Today, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that equal rights are fundamental to our American values and our nation can now turn the page on a patchwork of discriminatory state laws that have blocked marriage equality. It is a great day for this historic announcement in Tampa Bay as we kick off our annual LGBT Pride Parade, one of the largest in Florida.

“It is truly a historic step forward – all loving couples who make a lifetime commitment to each other should be recognized no matter where they live, move or travel to throughout the country.

“In my community and throughout my home state of Florida we have fought resolutely for equal rights. It is clear today that those who have opposed marriage equality stand on the wrong side of history and all the hard work in my community, state and throughout the country will not be undone by those standing in the way of progress and equality. “

U.S. Rep. Castor has been a long-time champion of equal rights and diversity. As a county commissioner in 2005, she was the sole vote against a ban on gay pride observations. She continued to work for its reversal and in Congress for equal rights. In 2013, the ban was finally repealed unanimously by the Hillsborough County Commission. In addition, she signed an amicus brief to support overturning the Defense of Marriage Act; DOMA was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. Last year, she hosted a wedding for a Tampa same-sex couple in her Capitol Hill office in Washington, D.C. to provide them a haven to establish their lifelong bond and to highlight the inequality Florida’s gay couples faced before same-sex marriages became legal in Florida.