California’s Supreme Court struck down its ban on gay marriage today, calling it unconstitutional. It’s exciting that the second state in the union to allow same-sex marriages (after Massachusetts) is on our coast, though unfortunate it isn’t right here. Nevertheless, the ruling seems apt, as one of Cali’s largest city’s is this country’s de facto gay capital.
And I do hate to rain on everybody’s rainbow ringed parade (I seem to have a bad tendency to do so), but this is a fairly tricky time for this to be happening as well. University of Minnesota Feminist Studies Phd candidate (and good friend) Jessica Petocz says:
…the bad news is that this means that the gay issue may become a big deal in the next election (like it did in the Kerry election) and get the religious right all riled up, when they’re otherwise not coming out to vote much now because they don’t like McCain. So this could whip them all back into a frenzy and make it really hard for Obama or Clinton to not support a federal anti-marriage amendment.
But in the meantime get your wine country gazebos booked asap if you’re the marrying kind and be ready for a mouth full of vows.
(Addendum: Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger supports the court’s decision.)
I have that same “sick feeling” in my gut also. My celebration for our CA. neighbors is mingled with the thoughts that this could be used by the uber-conservative. I hope that Clinton and Obama can stand in the face of the fear! Our country needs a break from the kind of president we have had about 8 years too long! 😉
This disastrous decision will be fought tooth and nail. No way are the decent folks in CA going to let the courts override the will of the majority of citizens who voted, as did the majority of Oregonians, that pure and simple– Marriage is between one man, one woman. No perversions, no thank you.
The so-called homosexual marriages will be in name only—the majority know what a real marriage looks like. One man, one woman. So the court says the homosexual unions will be legal. In name only.
Our families are large, and our kids and grandkids are prepared to take the heat and do the right thing when our days of fighting this cancer on this nation are over. The baton is being passed on as we write.
The so-called “cancer” on the nation, as Julie22 alludes to above, is not the acknowledgment of equality between citizens, it’s the hateful and misanthropic persistence of discriminatory attitudes like this.
The California Supreme Court ruling yesterday is an important step forward toward recognition and fair treatment of same-sex couples under the law. Sure, it’s going to light a fire under the ill-educated and homophobic christian-right contingency, but I am personally comforted as I see that particular group gradually steadily lose political power and influence with each frothy, indignant out-cry of “one-man-one-woman.”
Gay equality is never going to be timed well to sneak past the bigots, and although election time is particularly sensitive (Obama getting pounced on for saying that gay rights are not as important as other social issues?), I am more concerned that social liberals and gay marriage supporters may lose focus as we continue to make substantive progress from state to state. We have a long, long way to go, folks.