"I think that the gay and lesbian community [had the right] to celebrate Independence Day in a way we never had to celebrate before," Pizer told Frontiers. "I think the decision marks the close of a very painful chapter in history for gay Americans. The Supreme Court was catching up with where the rest of the country is [on the issue of] adult consensual sex." The decision, however, doesn't mean gay Americans should relax their guard, "There are many people in this country who wish we had no civil rights," Pizer said. "They are very motivated to deny us civil rights, perhaps more so after having lost on this issue. We need to celebrate our success and feel freer to be ourselves, and have a sense of self-worth to do the next chapter in our work."