"At long last," Californian Takei says on his website, "the barrier to full marriage rights for same-sex couples has been torn down. We are equal with all citizens of our state!"

"He is my love and I can't imagine life without him," Takei says of longtime partner Brad Altman. Partners in life and business, Takei and Altman have traveled the world, jointly managed their finances and cared for Takei's mother in her twilight years. "Now," Takei says, "we can have the dignity, as well as all the responsibilities, of marriage."

George Takei, of Japanese descent, is keenly aware of second-class citizenship stemming from legally sanctioned discrimination. After Pearl Harbor was attacked, he and his family were placed in an internment camp, as were thousands of others, simply because of his ancestry. "Now, with the passage of time, we look back and see it as a shameful chapter of American history," he says. "With time, I know the oppostion to same sex marriage, too, will be seen as an antique and discreditable part of our history."

"Marriage equality took a long time," Takei closes, "but, like fine wine, its bouquet is simply exquisite."