California: The Huffington Post reports that the California Supreme Court may overturn Proposition 22, a referendum passed in 2000 that prohibits gay people from marrying. The article suggests that the court may also come out in favor of same-sex marriage as early as May 23.
Anticipating a favorable ruling, the right wing is working to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban gay marriage. However, these efforts were set back when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged to fight against the potential measure and called it "a total waste of time" at the Log Cabin Republicans National Convention.
The Log Cabin Republicans deserve credit for getting the governor's stance on the record. With the latest poll showing only 51% of Californians against gay marriage, Schwarzenegger's support will likely embolden moderate fence sitters to side with equality.
If same-sex marriage becomes a reality in America's largest and most influential state - and is not overturned by a Constitutional Amendment - it will be the biggest earthquake to hit in years. The sheer number of couples who will marry (and divorce, it is California, after all), will forever change this debate. It will cause a legal mess, as many of these married couples - often with children - migrate to states that still discriminate. The consequences of such relocations will force the entire country to grapple with this issue. No longer will the debate be theoretical, but will focus on the discrimination endured by families whose married status vanishes the moment they cross state lines.
Florida: Now that "The Terminator" has spoken, it is time for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to come out against a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit same-sex marriage. Florida's GLBT advocates need to remind Crist that in 1978, Gov. Ronald Reagan opposed the Briggs Initiative, which would have banned gay and lesbian schoolteachers. The actions by Reagan and Schwarzenegger - certainly not considered wimps - ought to give Crist the political cover to stand for justice.
Love Won Out: In 1998, fifteen socially conservative groups launched a huge "ex-gay" advertising campaign that was billed as the "Normandy Landing in the cultural wars." The attack began with full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today. Now, ten years and several scandals later, it appears that the right wing may be reconsidering its strategy.
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