It has taken a lot of work and persuasion of the authorities – but any struggle of this size is bound to show results at one point or another. Since midnight, all civil partnerships made abroad between same-sex couples have been recognized in the UK as being legally binding and also gay marriage is now allowed.

It’s a huge step forward – the ability to recognize that true love can bypass gender and you are able to find your life-long partner among people of the same sex. Real, true love can be anything that it needs to be.

Yes, I think it does transcend the boundaries of age, gender, and race. If two people have a bond of any kind, it doesn’t matter what it looks like to the rest of the world. Love is love. Anyone who’s ever loved someone knows that once you’re in love, you can’t just stop. Not even if you want to. You can’t help who you love. It’s beautiful and terrible.

Rainbow flags will be hung all over the country to celebrate the occasion, with one flying at the heart of Westminster. The flag – adopted as a symbol of the gay community in 1970s’ San Francisco – was being flown above the Cabinet Office and Scotland Office.

Read More : The Guardian: Britain’s First Same-Sex Marriage