The inauguration falling on Martin Luther King Day was a cruel irony, a discordant note struck on a day meant to honor justice, equality, and freedom.

Brian wrote his dissertation about maintaining racial equity and equality in the face of gentrification.

But activists for marriage equality said they faced opposition from conservative lawmakers.

They said their daughter "was always a very kind girl, who valued equality and fairness at the core" and "a world of possibilities awaited her".

It would be another decade before full marriage equality was approved by parliament, in part because of the rise of young, progressive political parties that championed the cause.