On Wednesday, Nov. 6, as the country celebrated a president, my friends and I celebrated a battle. For my home state of Maryland, Wednesday was the day in which Question 6, a same-sex marriage referendum in Maryland, was passed. Same sex marriage became legal.

As an NYU student, I often feel disconnected to the state I call home. And as an NYU student currently abroad in Buenos Aires, these feelings of distance had become even stronger. Having studied at NYU for three years and abroad for two semesters, I have learned just how vital it is to remember my origins. When news broke of Question 6’s appearance on the ballot, my thoughts went straight to Baltimore.

In my classes at NYU, time and again I have found myself surrounded by students who know not the America that many forget — the America that refuses the rights of gay Americans. For Maryland, the outcome of Question 6 determined where our state stood. For many of my friends from home, this outcome determined not only if they could be proud of Maryland, but if they could still call it home in 10 more years, when they are ready to get married.

When Election Day arrived, Maryland made history. Having affirmed gay marriage by a popular vote, we not only became the eighth state to legalize, but the first state to legalize below the Mason-Dixon line. On Nov. 6, every Marylander I knew was beaming with pride. Sam Donnenberg, a friend and University of Maryland student, told me, “It validates for me that Maryland is one of the most accepting and open places to grow up gay in America, which is something I try never to take for granted.”

In Buenos Aires 5,000 miles away, I received the news in my dorm room. Within minutes, my inbox was overflowing with messages of excitement and happiness. On Nov. 6, Maryland made us strong. Our world seemed to shift, and we couldn’t help but feel like the rest of the world was shifting with us. The future opened just ever so slightly wider.

Sometimes, as an NYU student, it can be easy to forget that the entire world isn’t as liberal as we are. But today, I feel overwhelmingly lucky, because I can speak for myself, and I can let my friends speak, and I can publish the words that I think deserve ears. More importantly, I can celebrate a victory. And today, my celebration is met with encouragement and not discrimination. I try to never forget that privilege.

My friend and University of Maryland student Andrew Keegan said in a message Nov. 7, “From the time I began identifying myself as gay, I had never considered marriage an option for myself, because it never was. But when I stopped to think about what this vote could mean for me, I realized that I was overjoyed at the potential to have what my parents have: to be able to give my love to someone. As a human being with so much love to give, it means the world to me that Maryland has decided to move forward.”

I think that Andrew’s words say more than I ever could. Today, the world is changing in insurmountable ways, and validating gay rights is one of the many means by which we move forward. While most of New York City may feel that this is a given, for me, this feels like the dawn of something new. And as a representative of Maryland, I can say with complete certainty that today we are blown away by our new options, our new futures and the one thing that never changed at all — our overwhelming capacity for love.

Meghan O’Connor is a foreign correspondent. Email her at [email protected].