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President Obama praised the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage in front of the White House on Friday morning. The ruling “will end the uncertainty hundreds of thousands of gay couples face” by ending the patchwork system, Obama said, adding that the ruling will strengthen America. “When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free.” In his address, Obama noted that “America’s shift has been so quick” on gay rights as compared to other civil-rights movements, while acknowledging that many Americans continue to oppose same-sex marriage and calling for respect for those beliefs. “Shifts in hearts and minds are possible,” he said. “Today we can say in no uncertain terms that we have made our union a little more perfect.”
“What an extraordinary achievement, but what a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things,” he concluded. “What a reminder of what Bobby Kennedy once said about how small actions can be like pebbles being thrown into a still lake, and ripples of hope cascade outwards and change the world. Those countless, often anonymous heroes, they deserve our thanks. They should be very proud. America should be very proud.”