out in the ocean china is still building ieltsbuilding islands eemgly seemingly unconcerned what its neighbors have to say. >> a quick requirement keep up to date at aljazeera.com. amazing grace. ♪♪ ♪♪ how sweet the sound ♪♪ >> as the president honors victims of a mass shooting, we look at a legacy of slavery. >> you'd never know these are the fingerprints of the slave. brick. >> also tonight, love wins.

meet two dads behind a landmark decision by the u.s. supreme court in favor of same-sex marriage. >> look at your dads right now. what do you want to say to them? >> i'm really proud of you for doing this for everyone. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. what a day at the u.s. supreme court. think of this, just one decade ago, states were passing constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and now it's the law of the land. many people are asking why this one. a lot say it's the children of gay and lesbian children that turned this debate on its heels. for the last few months, i've been following the story of two kentucky dads leading the charge for equality and today we witnessed their family

win at the supreme court. their case was called -- legal analysts predicted their appeal

would be the row v. wade of same-sex marriage, the case that would go to the u.s. supreme court. it did. >> we certainly did not think that we would be a case going to the supreme court. we thought that would be played out long before. there were so many other states in the queue before us. we thought this would be settled before that. sure enough, all the other circuits have ruled in favor of marriage equality. we're shocked. >>reporter: the sixth circuit is often called unpredictable and it was here they lost their appeal. the federal appeals court upheld the same-sex marriage bans in four states, kentucky, michigan, ohio, and tennessee. in the only appeals court ruling that upheld bans, judge jeffrey sutton wrote the states create an incentive for those who

procreate together. couples of the same sex have children in the same way as couples of opposite sexes. that's obvious to michael and grant. they adopted their two children. bella and isiah. they've jumped through numerous legal in hoops. >> one of us is a legal guardian. michael is the adoptive parent. i'm the legal guardian. many things have had to be taken into account because we don't married. >> so all the work you've done, are you still lacking the same

rights as hetero sexual chum couples? >> very much so. but the big thing for us is being able to put both their names on their birth certificates. >> that's what motivating us. we've been parenting these children together for 16 years and still as far as the state of kentucky is concerned, i have no legal claim or status. i am a legal guardian but -- >> your name is not on their birth certificate. >> and it's not. they would tell you that, yes. >> so these are things that are important to us. >> in typical teenage fashion, isiah backed up his fathers. >> you want to talk? >> about what? >> whatever this guy wants to ask you. this is adam. >> what's it like to have two dads in the state of kentucky? >> awesome. two awesome dudes. they've been parenting me since

i was 3 years old. and everything that i am and the reason why i am the man today is because of these two. beautiful, hand some young gentlemen. >> he really lays it on thick. >> a tear in my eye. >> he wants money or something. >> if something were to happen to michael and greg has no legal rights to his children and that doesn't make sense for anyone. these people raised these children. when i look at them, i see a family. doesn't matter. >> shannon is part of the legal team representing michael and greg and a handful of other kentucky couples who also are already married in other jurisdictions. michael and greg tied the knot in ontario on the canadian side of niagara falls in 2004. but that marriage meant nothing in the state of kentucky. >> it's referred to as kentucky

married and federally married. >> what's the real impact on that for clients that you represent? >> our clients can't both be the legal parents of the children together. >> it's a perfectly reasonable position to think that a child grows up best with a mother and a father. it's reasonable for government to encourage that. >> martin, a conservative christian writer helped lead the campaign ten years ago to ban same-sex marriage in kentucky. the 2004 constitutional amendment passed with 74% of the vote. one of the highest votes against marriage equality in the nation. his group, the family foundation of kentucky, brief. >> there's no reason kentucky should have to rely on california to make our marriage policy.

or 37 other state >> do you want the supreme court to strike down all marriages? >> no. i just want it to allow states to set their own marriage policy. >> but now the supreme court and the president see this change differently. >> this morning the supreme court recognized that the constitution guarantees marriage equality. in doing so, they've reaffirmed that all americans are entitled to the equal protection of the

law. what was going through your mind when you saw what it was actually happening there? >> oh, gosh, i don't know that i was thinking very much but just absorbed in the moment. i was standing in front of a gay man's corus and they started single the star spangled banner. >> did you anticipate this result? did you think there was any question? >> there was a little tiny bit of a question of what would happen and they could have ruled

in different ways but i think as soon as the crowd heard that justice kennedy was reading the decision that was enough of a signal to the crowdna this decision was going to be good >> as a member of congress, does this once and for all put gay lesbian members of our country on an equal footing with everyone else now that marriage rights have been granted? >> well, the supreme court threw a huge, big wedding bouquet out to same-sex couples all over the country. but i have to say they're going to -- some are getting married right now and as soon as they post pictures of their weddings on facebook, many of these people in many parts of the country are going to face the prospect of being fired from their jobs, being evicted from their landlords and possibly in some states, there's some governors, that they may not be treated fairly in store

>> discrimination in the country. what can we do about that congressly? >> we can act on as soon as we introduce it in the session, the comprehensive lgbt civil rights act. procedurely just as say with the immigration goal that passed, the majority of the house, the republicans in the house, can procedurely stop that legislation from being considered on the floor. even though there's possible a coalition of house members that would probably vote it into law,

we have a proequality majority in the house if we can -- >> if leadership allows it. >> yes. >> all right. that sounds like the next battle ground in the gay rightings movement. thank you for joining us. >> my pleasure. thank you. >> up next, a day of healing in charleston. as the nation remembers nine people slain in a church. president obama delivers a powerful eulogy. and later, slavery's long shadow. in charleston exploring the city's dark and seldom-talked about past. >> bold... >> he took two m-16's, and he crawled... >> brave... >> ...do what you gotta do... >> then betrayed... >> why do you think you didn't get the medal of honor? >> a lifetime without the honor they deserved... >> some say that it was

discrimination... >> revealing the long painful fight, to recognize some of america's bravest... >> he say.. be cool...be cool... >> ...proudest moment in my life.. >> honor delayed a soledad o'brien special report only on al jazeera america

>> monday. the fastest internet in the country. >> it's the next generation internet. >> but why isn't it in your town? >> our internet's half the speed of dial-up. >> could big cable be controlling your access to the web? >> it's not even gonna play. >> your right to access knowledge is being limited. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> i'm standing in a tropical wind storm. >> can affect and surprise us. >> wow! some of these are amazing. >> "techknow", where technology meets humanity. monday, 6:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. a day of healing in the wake of last week's shootings that left nine people dead at eh

emmanuel a.m.e. church last wednesday. today the president was in charleston and delivered a very powerful eulogy at reverend pinkney's funeral service to honor and celebrate his life. >> preacher by 13. pastor by 18. public servant by 23. what a life he lived. what an example he set. what a model for his faith. and then to lose him at 41. slain in his sanctuary. with eight wonderful members of his flock. each at different stages in life but bound together by a

common commitment to god. cynthia heard. suzie jackson. ethel lance. de payne middleton. tawanza sanders. daniel simmons. sharonda singleton. myra thompson. good people. decent people. god fearing people. [applause]

>> al jazeera america

let the people decide. the greek prime minister announces a referendum on his bailout deal. hello i'm darren jordan, you're watching al jazeera america live from doha. the president says his once peaceful country is now a country. united in grief in kuwait. shia and sunni together. grieve together in