Hundreds of people gathered outside the state Capitol on Friday evening in celebration of the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage across the United States.

“Thank you, Anthony Kennedy,” said state Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, referring to the justice who wrote the majority opinion.

With part of the 20-foot “Equality Cake,” a remnant of Sunday’s 40th PrideFest, as a backdrop, community figures and politicians such as Steadman and fellow Democratic Sen. Lucia Guzman — “I am the honorable lesbian of the Colorado state Senate” — expressed gratitude for the ruling. The crowd shared the feeling.

“It’s really just starting to sink in, the impact of this,” said Steve Sells of Denver. “Now I can marry the man I love without worrying about where I live.”

Beginning his remarks with “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today … to celebrate victory, to celebrate love,” Steadman nonetheless sounded a cautionary note amid all the happiness.

“Let us not forget that our journey is not complete. We know there is hatred that has not been eradicated — there are hearts and minds that need to be changed,” he said.