Well, unfortunately, this federal court decision really doesn't affect us at all. In theory, the ruling only covers Massachusetts for the time being. The case was brought on behalf of the state, and unless and until it moves up through the 1st Circuit and possibly to the Supreme Court, the case only has persuasive precedential value. For now, DOMA is still valid in California.

That being said, there are still many ways to challenge DOMA, and this is a big first hurdle of getting a federal judge to call it for what it is: clearly unconstitutional. We should see additional lawsuits challenging DOMA from a variety of legal fronts over the coming months and years.

Of course, that Prop 8 decision will also play a major role in all this. The end game is, of course, for universal marriage equality, but the legal doors on the way there are slowly and steadily opening.