LIVE NORTHVILLE REACTIONS: Supreme Court KOs DOMA

This article was written by Henry Powderly, Daniel Lai and Aysha Jamali.

With the announcement on Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage act unconstitutional, locals have flocked to Twitter to share reactions on the landmark ruling.

The 5-4 decision will mean the federal government must recognize gay marriages in the 12 states in the U.S. that have legalized these unions, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Maryland, Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota, according to Care2.com.

>>See a live stream of tweets from local community members above. If you are in the area, tweet with the #DOMA hashtag to be added to the stream.

The decision comes on the heels of Michigan's own fight for marriage equality. Earlier this week lawmakers in Lansing introduced a set of bills that would amend Michigan's constitution to allow same-sex marriage, which was banned in Michigan in 2004. The bills would also require the state to recognize same-sex marriages that were licensed in other states.

Sara Wurfel, a spokesperson from Gov. Rick Snyder's office, told Patch in an email that the Supreme Court's rulings don't affect Michigan's current constitutional provision on gay marriage.

"The Governor has a responsibility to uphold the Michigan Constitution and that’s something he takes seriously and will continue to do," Wurfel wrote. "If voters decided to change Michigan’s provision, he’d uphold and respect that as well. He’s focused on Michigan’s continued comeback, jobs, a healthy Michigan, and our kids."

There have been some memorable reactions to the Supreme Court's decision. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington sang the National Anthem outside the Supreme Court building in celebration. 

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin said the Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday will provide all men and women in America with the rights that they deserve.

"Today’s Supreme Court rulings are victories for equality and for simple human dignity. I favored repeal of DOMA because it falls short of its ideal of equality under the law.

"The Supreme Court’s recognition of that truth is in keeping with our best traditions and will give millions of Americans the legal protections to which they are fully entitled under our Constitution. I’m hopeful that our nation’s centuries-long march toward equality will continue to move forward," Levin said.

What do you think about the rulings? Tell us in the comments.