WATCH: 12-year-old in Utah with two moms talks about why marriage matters

Last week at a rally in support of the freedom to marry in Salt Lake City, UT, 12-year-old Riley Hackford-Peer stood in front of a podium at the Capitol building in Utah and spoke out about why marriage matters to his two mothers, his little brother, and his entire family. 

Riley said, "At school we talked about things we hoped to see during our lifetime ... I always said I imagined my moms getting married in Utah. On December 20 it happened! I saw my moms get married — in Utah! It felt like fireworks bursting in my heart. …The funny thing is, nothing really changed. We're still a family, and we all love each other. The only difference is that they now they have equal rights. But Governor Herbert wants to treat my moms unfairly. He says he wants to 'protect families.' But I want to tell him that my family deserves protection too! I have two moms. And I love them. And they deserve to have their marriage recognized everywhere."

The rally came after a busy week in Utah. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request for a stay in a December 2013 marriage ruling that overturned anti-marriage laws in the state and immediately allowed same-sex couples to marry. On Wednesday, state officials in Utah announced that they would place a hold on recognition of same-sex couples' legal marriages, but on Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice declared that the federal government would respect the marriages of the 1,300+ same-sex couples who received licenses between December 20, 2013 and January 6. 

Watch the beautiful speech:

(Via The Advocate)