Santa Rosa Army Reserve soldier: Court ruling a 'step toward equal rights'

Ross Galleto was getting ready for work Friday when a news alert on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage popped up on his phone. He raced out of the bathroom to tell his husband, Silver Galleto, who still was in bed.

The news didn’t sink in immediately for his spouse, but Ross Galleto was elated, despite the fact that same-sex marriage has been legal in California since 2013.

“What’s been overwhelming for me was seeing the support around me,” said 25-year Santa Rosa resident and bank teller. “That’s been the biggest thing, getting on Facebook (and) seeing all these people reposting articles about it, whether they’re gay or not.”

A millennial, Galleto saw the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy governing gays in the military shortly after enlisting in the Army Reserve, where he’s still serving. He also was able to marry in December 2013, months after the U.S. Supreme Court declared Proposition 8, a 2008 state law prohibiting marriage for same-sex couples, unconstitutional.

“I think about the older generation. When they were my age they couldn’t fathom this happening,” Galleto said about the latest Supreme Court ruling.

Galleto, who grew up in Cloverdale, was 13 when he came out to his family and friends, all of whom were supportive, he said. Still, there were trying times. He never thought he would be able to get married or have children. The sweeping action by the nation’s high court eliminated such concerns nationwide for untold LGBT people.

“This is just a step toward having equal rights for the LGBT community,” Galleto said.

However, he said the fight for equal rights isn’t over. There are states where workers can be fired for being gay and others still prohibit same-sex couples from adopting children, he said.

“We’re still not fully there,” added Galleto, who hopes to be a parent in a few years after his husband finishes working on his master’s degree.

The couple met at a bank in Cloverdale where Galleto worked.

“Our kids aren’t going to know the difference. They’re going to look back and say ‘what do you mean they couldn’t get married?’” Galleto said.