The Beginning of the End of the Anti-Same-Sex-Marriage Movement

[mahatmakanejeeves]

The Beginning of the End of the Anti-Same-Sex-Marriage Movement

February 7, 2012 Joanna L. Grossman

Washington State is currently poised to legalize same-sex marriage. The state senate passed Bill 6239, by a vote of 28-21. That bill would repeal an existing statutory ban on same-sex marriage and replace it with an explicit authorization of such marriages. The state’s house of representatives is expected to pass the bill by a wide margin, and the state’s governor, Christine Gregoire, has stated publicly that she will sign the bill.

This development has significance beyond simply the fact that a seventh state will now offer marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples. (The other six are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York; the District of Columbia also allows same-sex marriage.) This will be the first time, since the beginning of the modern same-sex marriage controversy, that a state legislature has reversed itself, moving from a statutory ban on same-sex marriage to a statutory authorization of same-sex marriage. And, given the typical timeline of social movements, this has happened in a relatively short period of time.

[obamanut2012]

1. Oh, I do hope so

[xchrom]

2. Du rec. Nt

[yardwork]

3. We'll see what happens in North Carolina this spring. We have a bad situation here.

Equal marriage and civil unions are already illegal in North Carolina by state statute. Not content with that, the right-wing state legislature approved a constitutional amendment that will go before voters in May. It would be one of the most restrictive anti-rights state constitutional amendments in the country.

Even if voters don't approve it (and polls show that they will approve it), equal marriage and civil unions will still be illegal in North Carolina and throughout the rest of the south.

The country is going to end up very geographically divided on this issue.

[MNBrewer]

4. And Minnesota, too.