Voters just approved gay marriage in popular referenda in Maine and Maryland. They also rejected a bid to write a ban on gay marriage into the state constitution in Minnesota. If the current lead for gay marriage in Washington state holds up, gay marriage will have run the table in 2012. (Also, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin is the country’s first openly gay senator.)
Before 2000 gay marriage had never been done, and would undoubtedly lead to rains of fire and brimstone and giant cracks opening up in the ground and swallowing up any place with the temerity to so defy God and Nature.
After 2000, gay marriage had only been enacted in the Netherlands, that pot-and-hookers-legalizing hotbed of sin, where the dikes* are undoubtedly going to give way any day now and wash the whole place clean away. At any rate, there certainly wasn’t any of that sort of thing going on here in the good old U.S. of A.
*The other dikes. The big things that keep the ocean from flooding half the country.
After 2004, gay marriage was only legal in the United States in the People’s Republic of Taxachusetts, which is practically European anyway. What’s more, even in that godless socialistic state, The People didn’t actually vote for it; it was imposed on them by unelected, activist judges.
After 2009, gay marriage was legal in several states, but that was only due to unelected, activist judges and…um…activist legislatures. Nowhere had The People directly voted for gay marriage (in fact, The People had repeatedly voted against it). And as everyone knows, the United States is a Democracy, not a Republic, so [del]un[/del]elected, activist legislatures don’t count.
I wonder where the goalposts will be moved to now?
My wife and I held signs for Question 6 at a polling place for three hours last night here in Maryland. It was cold, damn cold. Waking up to find that it had passed made it all worth it.
Thrilled. My church (UU) worked VERY HARD to contribute to a No vote in Minnesota - I’m sure the entire congregation was celebrating last night - we were on pins and needles on Sunday over it. And my facebook feed is full of celebration.
Every morning for the last month I’ve had to drive by a VOTE YES FOR TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE billboard in Minnesota. This morning, I gleefully drove by it ready to smile in its stupid face only to see it was (finally) defaced. The legislation wouldn’t have changed anything per se in Minnesota, but the fact that it was defeated shows that there’s hope out there. That the tide is shifting and that the Catholic Archbishop Nienstedthas a f*ckload to answer for for spending a TON of the church’s moneyjust to lose only makes it more sweet.
In Iowa in 2010, they kicked 3 of our SC judges who had made that decision. In 2012, they attempted to boot more, but failed to do so. It seems the decision has been made here as well, albeit in a roundabout fashion. Perhaps people noticed that nothing actually changed.
Damn, grow up people (Conservative Republicans), practice what you preach tolerate things, don’t judge. If people are gay and getting married then you’re sure they’re going to hell right let em bury themselves they’ll pay the price because the lord has got it under control, he knows what he’s doing (ha ha). It doesn’t make you gay that someone else is getting married. It’s people like y’all that wanted to keep slavery around. It’s a democracy, what’s voted for is voted for, if you’re here living in a world you hate blame you’re god, he’s the one runnin shit.
Well, there’s a big internet hug and high-five from me to you and everyone else who voted no. I appreciate from the bottom of my heart every sign you’ve posted, every call you’ve made, every door you’ve knocked and every conversation you’ve had. I’m proud as hell to be a minnesotan and an american today and it’s because of all of you.
Fuck, where are my tissues, someone must be chopping onions in the office.
Its nice to know that my marriage will be recognized in three new states. I don’t go to Maryland often, but we do go to Maine and Washington occasionally. I remember Maine’s referendum from several years ago, that hurt. Its nice to see progress.
For years we all kind of knew that the referendums were a bit of a last ditch effort to cement in old thinking and that the shift would turn to our favor. Time was and is on our side.
I was mostly interested, in my professional capacity, in Maryland, because my company provides benefits to same-sex spouses in states where they are legal. We don’t have any locations in Maine or Washington yet, but we are in Maryland. It looks like the MD law will be effective 1/1/13.
I just wanted to thank you Lightnin’. My husband (who used to be completely against gay marriage) and I voted for question 6. I am so happy that it passed.