And trimming the edges is my point exactly... Abortion may be a 50-50 issue with the general populace, but the general populace is not the indicator of which laws gets passed... Abortion is still legal, sure, but certain factions of lawmakers are restricting the legal right... I'm sure there'll be always a candidate that will campaign on economics but legislate on morality for a long time to come...
My point is this: let's celebrate the victory but not give up on the fight...
I don't think there is much in common between Roe and Oberkfell except for the fact that both deal with hot-button social issues.
A. With abortion, the right has been expert at trimming around the edges, making abortions difficult, or even virtually impossible, but without outright banning them. I don't much see how you could do this with same-sex marriage, although the right will certainly try. Mississippi, already, is saying it may stop issuing marriage licenses altogether. I don't think this will fly for long. Far more straight couples get married than gay, and it wouldn't be long before they would be heavily complaining about having to go out of state to get a license. "Freedom of religious expression" discrimination is going to take some time to get sorted out, but the courts will eventually at least get a fuzzy line drawn.
B. And this is the most important. Abortion has never been more than a 50-50 issue in opinion polls. The country is as deeply divided about the issue now as it was 40 years ago. That isn't the case with same-sex marriage. Already more than 60 percent of the population favors it, and that percentage is only going to go up as it is available for some time in more states and as the population turns over. Same-sex marriage likely won't be a hot-button social issue for long. All but the hard-core evangelical and homophobic will ultimately support it as they find that it doesn't affect their lives and is just the fair thing to do. In 10 years, I am confident it will just be part of the fabric of American life.
There are certainly other major issues remaining. Two that immediately come to mind are equal protection in housing and the workplace, and another will be securing equal rights for gay couples in adoptions.
But the Lawrence-Windsor-Oberkfell line of cases has in no uncertain terms established that gay people must be treated equally under the law. There will undoubtedly be some setbacks along the way, but I'm confident that we are now clearly on the path to full legal equality and the end of discrimination under the law. (Which is different than other forms of discrimination, as racial minorities are still seeing.)
I'm glad for the decision... Let's hope the strength of it lasts...
Roe v Wade, decided on a 7-2 majority in 1973, is the legal standard in the United States but the rights granted under that mandate is still being whittled down... Let's hope the legal activists keep up the fight... I'm pretty sure they are and will...
BTW, this ruling, as well as the Obamacare ruling, are true blessings for GOP politicians. They can now feel free to fire up their conservative base by ranting against these rulings without having to worry about them actually having negative consequences for real people. But regardless of whether there may some short-term blowback, these two rulings are worth it.
If we have a short-term spike in hate crimes, that's a (relatively) small price to pay. This ruling is the culmination of almost 50 years of fighting for equal rights. Yes, there is still work to be done, but this ruling, on the heels of Lawrence v. Texas and Windsor, makes it clear that discrimination against gay people is no longer legally or constitutionally defensible.
That made this day monumentally important to all gay Americans, even those who have no desire to marry. It's an enormous milestone on the way to equality. Many thousands of our brothers helped to make this moment possible but didn't live to see it happen. This day is for them too, and they should never be forgotten.
If this isn't the most important day in gay rights history, it's certainly in the top 2 or 3.
My biggest fear is that we...progressive thinking voters that is....will get a bit complacent and not go to the polls in numbers like we should...and allow neanderthals to get elected Pres...and along with the buttheads we got already in congress then down the road we r gonna revisit this all again in the courts....so get out and vote people
Don't know what you heard, doankyl. Here's a story on Obama calling Jim Obergfell, the plaintiff in the marriage case, to offer congratulations. Obama got off to a bit of a slow start on gay rights, but once he got rolling, he has far and away been the most pro-gay president in U.S. history.
There's a tremendous response to the ruling here in Texas. The Dallas County Courthouse is a center of activity and marriages have already begun there. I'm also proud to say that Tarrant County is issuing licenses. I was afraid we might follow the lead of our right-wing attorney general, Ken Paxton, who told Texas counties to wait.
I'll have to admit, until just the last year or so, I never thought I would see this day come in Texas in my lifetime. It's an unforgettable day.
My point is this: let's celebrate the victory but not give up on the fight...
A. With abortion, the right has been expert at trimming around the edges, making abortions difficult, or even virtually impossible, but without outright banning them. I don't much see how you could do this with same-sex marriage, although the right will certainly try. Mississippi, already, is saying it may stop issuing marriage licenses altogether. I don't think this will fly for long. Far more straight couples get married than gay, and it wouldn't be long before they would be heavily complaining about having to go out of state to get a license. "Freedom of religious expression" discrimination is going to take some time to get sorted out, but the courts will eventually at least get a fuzzy line drawn.
B. And this is the most important. Abortion has never been more than a 50-50 issue in opinion polls. The country is as deeply divided about the issue now as it was 40 years ago. That isn't the case with same-sex marriage. Already more than 60 percent of the population favors it, and that percentage is only going to go up as it is available for some time in more states and as the population turns over. Same-sex marriage likely won't be a hot-button social issue for long. All but the hard-core evangelical and homophobic will ultimately support it as they find that it doesn't affect their lives and is just the fair thing to do. In 10 years, I am confident it will just be part of the fabric of American life.
There are certainly other major issues remaining. Two that immediately come to mind are equal protection in housing and the workplace, and another will be securing equal rights for gay couples in adoptions.
But the Lawrence-Windsor-Oberkfell line of cases has in no uncertain terms established that gay people must be treated equally under the law. There will undoubtedly be some setbacks along the way, but I'm confident that we are now clearly on the path to full legal equality and the end of discrimination under the law. (Which is different than other forms of discrimination, as racial minorities are still seeing.)
Roe v Wade, decided on a 7-2 majority in 1973, is the legal standard in the United States but the rights granted under that mandate is still being whittled down... Let's hope the legal activists keep up the fight... I'm pretty sure they are and will...
That made this day monumentally important to all gay Americans, even those who have no desire to marry. It's an enormous milestone on the way to equality. Many thousands of our brothers helped to make this moment possible but didn't live to see it happen. This day is for them too, and they should never be forgotten.
If this isn't the most important day in gay rights history, it's certainly in the top 2 or 3.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/politics/obama-call … index.html
I'll have to admit, until just the last year or so, I never thought I would see this day come in Texas in my lifetime. It's an unforgettable day.