(CNN) -- America's right place is at the vanguard of the quest for freedom and equality. The country was founded on that principle, as a nation whose very identity is built on equal rights and true freedom for its citizens. Wednesday's twin decisions by the Supreme Court in favor of gay equality allowed the country to move closer to its founding ideals. That is not just good news for gay Americans, for their families and for the United States. It is excellent news for the cause of freedom and equality around the globe, and not just for gay people. What happens in the U.S. matters. It influences views everywhere. That's why when the high court ruled that the federal law perversely named the "Defense of Marriage Act" or DOMA is unconstitutional and allowed the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 in California to be struck down, the news rippled to all corners of the world.
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Frida Ghitis: Supreme Court rulings on gay rights resonate around the world
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She says they help restore America's role at the vanguard of personal freedom
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Ghitis: Many countries still harshly publish homosexuality
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She says U.S. has strayed from its role at times but it's appropriate to return to it
Despite intense and often well-founded criticism of the @placeholder and complaints that its rhetoric doesn't match its behavior, America wields enormous social, cultural and political sway around the planet.
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