Last week, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that California's gay marriage ban was unconstitutional and was in direct violation of the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment is no Constitutional footnote - by guaranteeing equal protections for all it is a cornerstone of the American way.
At its very core, marriage is a union between two consenting adults. It encourages societal stability and commitment. It's also the right thing to do. On the pragmatic front: Those who feel enfranchised tend to care more about their property, their neighborhood, city and country they live in. A form of gay marriage has been legal in Denmark since 1989. The idea was opposed by a large majority of the Danish clergy then, but six years later a survey showed overwhelming support for gay marriage among the same clergy after its benefits became apparent.
We are not talking about the end, but rather the strengthening of Western Civilization as we know it.
American progress has always been a two-steps forward, one-step back process. The fallout from Walker's decision will likely find its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, by way of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. If that happens, there's a good chance it will be struck down.
Sometimes doing the right thing takes a little time. Sometimes people need time to process the new information before coming to terms with it. But we should remember that it wasn't that long ago, 1967, that interracial marriage was deemed legal by the Supreme Court.
And we all know now through the 1954 ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education that segregating public schools on account of race is unconstitutional.
The same should be said about denying gay adults from getting married.[[In-content Ad]]
