The word “legalized” itself is worth paying attention to in this situation. Things that are “illegal” usually conjure up images of killing, stealing, or selling drugs—not relationships, not love—and not marriage.

Still, all eyes were on Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker yesterday when the San Francisco lawmaker ruled that the voter-approved Proposition 8 (the amendment that banned same-sex marriage in California) is a violation of constitutional human rights.

The fact that marriage is a joy for some and illegal for others is unacceptable. What happened to our belief that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?” The basic right to pursue happiness through marriage with the partner of your choosing is a right currently only “unalienably” afforded to some equal men—not all. It’s time to recognize the true equality of all Americans, not just those with lifestyles of which we “approve.”

It took 136 pages for Walker to substantiate his ruling. The majority of the public, both for and against the ruling, won’t read through each page—but it’s safe to say that if it takes 136 pages to prove that this was unconstitutional to begin, that there will be a lot of hurdles to jump before wedding bells are ringing for same-sex marriages in California.

The U.S. continues to take baby steps toward accepting the union of all couples, and this case will likely make its way to the Supreme Court. Rome wasn’t built in a day—and if you ask any married couple—gay or straight—neither is a marriage.