We lost that day, but I'm still proud of that vote.

In 1996, it wasn’t even close. By a vote of 85 to 14, the U.S. Senate passed the so-called Defense of Marriage Act outlawing same-sex marriage.

I’m proud of my "No" vote on that day.

Before voting, I asked my colleagues: “Where in the Constitution does it say ‘equal rights for all except those that the majority disagrees with?’”

Nearly two decades later, we won a major victory for equality as the U.S. Supreme Court struck down marriage discrimination across the land.

As we celebrate a year of marriage equality during this LGBT Pride Month, we must also turn our attention to the work ahead.

Transgender Americans are the latest target of the anti-equality activists. The so-called “bathroom bills” that seek to force students to use the wrong school bathroom in states like North Carolina are one more attempt to drive a wedge between Americans at the expense of already vulnerable young people.

The Obama Administration did the right thing by issuing guidance to school districts across the country that made it clear that Title IX prohibits discrimination against transgender students. This comes on the heels of the Department of Education releasing the names of taxpayer-funded colleges and universities that receive Title IX religious exemptions, which allow them to discriminate against women and LGBT students.

These are important victories in the long fight for true, full equality for all.

Marriage equality was an important victory, but it isn’t the end of the road. We have to keep fighting.

Ron