News Bites: ‘œAs California goes, so does the nation’
Those are the words of my mayor, Gavin Newsom, who shared some vindicated words about yesterday’s California Supreme Court ruling that declared a ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. After all, he’s the guy that started a gay marriage frenzy here in San Francisco in 2004, and then saw those marriages ruled invalid months later.
It was a celebratory scene yesterday here in San Francisco. Homos everywhere were hands-up in joy, dancing in the street. See for yourself: click here.
Straight supporters were beaming with excitement too. One straight girl in my journalism class happily asked, ‘œDo you think there’s a lot people getting engaged tonight? I wonder if there’s going to be a rush of June weddings.’ [Maybe a mid-June rush: it will take at least 30 days for the ruling to go in effect. This SF Gate article has more info.]
Of course I was excited and grateful for the court’s decision, but at the same time I thought, OK, that’s just one more state that thinks I’m good enough to get married. You’re telling me I should be jumping up for joy because I’m being granted rights I already deserve?
I’ll take whatever victories for gay marriage I can get, but someone has to acknowledge that it’s a little messed up to be celebrating one’s status as a second class citizen.
We’ve got presidential candidates who want to make gay marriage a state issue, which only complicates the rights and protections of marriage even more. We’ve got civil unions in Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire; domestic partnerships (with same state benefits of marriage) in Oregon and Washington, and now we have marriage in Massachusetts and California. That handful of states sounds like a mess compared to a neat and clean blanket of federal marriage rights.
My hope and faith is that there’s truth in the statement: as California goes, so does the nation. In the meantime, there’s more work to be done.
So how do you queers respond to another marriage victory?
We have domestic partnerships here in DC too!
I am cautious in my responses. And I underline that NY State still has no recognition- unless you go elsewhere and bring it back. Canada is not an option- we would want our kids with us- we can’t bring the baby over the border (adoption not final). Massachusetts is too far with the kids- and California is out of the question.
I am too busy living my married life to have to keep focusing on *how married* I am or am not in the grand scheme of things.
I think Maine will be a while in coming, but we’re already planning to get legally married on our existing anniversary.
For what it’s worth, I think you’re right to get your hopes up! Glenn Greenwald has a great article at Salon.com about why this decision makes sense in California law.
We have to win the country one state at a time. It’ll take some time, but we’ll do it.
Well, since I live in a very conservative Asian country, this type of news makes me jump with joy and say “Wow! Only 10,000 more years to go before I can get married here!”
But, like DivaJean, my partner and I are too busy living together and worrying about house payments and savings and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs to deal with these technicalities.
Celine, you make a good point. I see where you’re coming from. I’ve had a similar excitement when reading about Netherlands, Belguim, Spain, South Africa and Canada allowing gay marriage.
I agree with you and DivaJean that your love doesn’t need outside validation. I think I may be part of another generation that has had a taste of more tolerant attitudes towards gays. For me, marriage isn’t just a matter of validation of my love for my partner. I just want to be treated as an equal. I guess I’m committed to both my relationship with my partner and asserting equal protection for it.
I am careful in my reply. Canada is not an alternative- we would wish for our kids to be with us- we can’t bring the baby over the edge. Love doesn’t need outside validation.
It’s exciting to see state governments realizing something that made a lot of sense to most of us years ago. I can see the other side, though “Why celebrate something which I should have had to begin with.” Still, it’s better than NOT having marriages.