The past few weeks have been heady for same sex marriage advocates and since today, Valentine’s Day, is all about expressing love with someone you care about the thought of addressing some of these recent “wins” seems appropriate to me.
Aside from the increasingly vile rhetoric from conservative elements of the Republican Party generally verbalized through Romney, Gingrich and Santorum, most of the news with regards to same sex marriage in 2012 has been overwhelmingly positive.
The cultural shift of the general population accepting same sex marriage tilted a few years ago and while it may not be apparent depending on where you live, national polls in the US show an undeniable trend that makes social bigots conservatives tremble with both fury and fear.
Without dwelling on that lovely thought for too long, let’s review what has happened in the new year.
- February 7th US 9th District Court of Appeals declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional
- February 13th Gov. Gregoire signed a bill into law making Washington the 7th state to legalize marriage (effective June 7, 2012)
- February 13th NJ State Senate passed a bill to recognize same sex marriage 24-16; picking up 8 votes from 2010 when the same body rejected same sex marriage 20-14
- MD, NC, MN and ME are also considering initiatives addressing same sex marriage
Surveys show the more visible the GLBT community has become the more Americans support GLBT equality. For everyone who had the conviction to step into the light and leave the closet this must be sweet news.
So I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day, but for those GLBT couples, I’d like to let you know there is a special place in my heart for you and I wish you much love and happiness.
BosGuy 
Illinois is also picking up the ball. Meanwhile here in RI we have the horribly flawed civil unions law.
Here’s how I see it playing out here because our legislators are, for lack of more descriptive words, chickenshits.
1) DOMA will fall in 2012.
2) A RI couple who obtained a civil union will attempt to exercise a federal benefit of marriage and be denied because they don’t have a marriage, but a civil union.
3) The couple above will file suit against the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The case will be filed in Federal court and the ruling will be against the state and be delivered in 2013.
BTW, not all the legislators are chickenshits. But our Speaker of the House, an openly gay man, Gordon Fox, is a chickenshit. He is a horrible Speaker to be honest.
LikeLike
I’m waiting for the Supreme Court case to rule them all!
LikeLike
Great post! I agree with everything here … particularly your “come out and be counted” message.
LikeLike