Thank same-sex marriage for Brangelina’s marriage

It finally happened. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are officially married, reports the Associated Press.

The couple was wed on Saturday in Chateau Miraval, France, a spokesperson for the newlyweds told the AP. The civil ceremony was nondenominational, and was presided over by a California judge. The couple’s children also participated in the ceremony.

In 2006, Pitt said he and Jolie would not tie the knot until marriage was allowed for both LGBT and non-LGBT Americans. When DOMA was struck down on June 26, gossip swirled that the power couple would soon begin planning their wedding. Pitt and Angelina weren’t alone here. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard also pledged not to marry until DOMA was struck down; once it was, the couple got married.

This raises an interesting question. Some opponents of marriage equality argue that same-sex marriage will undermine the integrity of marriage in society overall. But for Brangelina and Krax, marriage equality did just the opposite: for them, gay marriage made them want to enter into a “traditional” marriage. Arguably in these instances, same-sex love strengthened their ideas of what a marital commitment could be.

Still, some critics feel that Brad and Angelina broke their promise to put off their own wedding until all gay people could officially wed. As my colleague German Lopez points out, 49 percent of gay people in the US still can’t legally get married.

Correction: This article originally stated that 40 percent of gay people can’t legally get married in the US. It’s actually 49 percent. The text has been corrected.