I've written here and there about gay marriage cases in the news over the past few years, with the most impactful being first the ability for us to marry in June of 2008 and, subsequently, the amendment to the state constitution that banned same-sex marriage. Obviously this is a deeply personal issue for us and I am hopeful that the Defense of Marriage Act will be repealed in Obama's (recently granted) second term. The process of following all the various court cases and ballot initiatives often feels like an emotional roller coaster.
So I'm quite happy that, after a string of THIRTY-TWO straight losses at the ballot box, voters have finally ruled in favor of gay marriage. Not in one state, but in three and a half (the Minnesota initiative was a gay marriage ban that voters rejected, so it wasn't quite the same as approving gay marriage).
This story has been somewhat lost in the discussion of the presidential election, which is certainly important and, I hope, will also play a role in progress on this issue (side-note: Tuesday was also the first time we elected a president who supported same-sex marriage!).
It's hard to say for sure whether this will be the tipping point -- of course opponents of same-sex marriage say it only passed in very "blue" states -- but I don't think you can overstate the significance of losing 32 times and then finally winning. And although I think the very idea of asking people to submit their vote on whether a person can marry the person he or she loves is totally ludicrous, I think the movement needs the popular vote (not just the court cases) to be successful in the long-term. I hope there is a definitive ruling from the Supreme Court that affirms the right to marry as a basic civil right, but I'm worried that if it happens too soon -- before the mainstream vote is behind it -- it could become like the abortion issue and continue to be extremely contentious.
These results make me feel very hopeful about the future. So much has changed in such a short period of time.
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