Gay marriage in the USA - Legislatures Take Action

After last November's crushing disappointment with the passage of Proposition 8 in California, I must say that I'm extremely heartened to observe that the movement for gay rights in the United States has not only not slowed down, but appears to be gaining momentum in both the courts and state legislatures.

Today, the District of Columbia city council voted to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions and the House of Representatives in Maine is set to vote later today on a bill to legalize same-sex marrage. The state Senate voted in favour of the bill, and so most observers are expecting that the heavily Democratic house will follow suit. There's a veritable cluster of same-sex marriages and domestic partner registries emerging in the Northeast. Hopefully this momentum will help the proposal that is emerging in New York.

Now if only Obama would stop being such a weasel and get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

UPDATE: The Maine House voted in favour of the bill 89-58 but there is a possibility that the state governor, a Democrat who is opposed to same-sex marriage, will veto the bill.

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Gay marriage in California

Kudos to the California Supreme Court for overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriage. For some initial reaction and commentary, see Dan Savage's commentary at the Stranger.

The ruling, which will make California the second jurisdiction to permit same-sex marriage (not just civil unions) goes into effect in 30 days, and Governor Schwarzenegger has indicated that he will uphold the ruling, and not support the referendum initiative that is being organized to overturn it (which would be on the November '08 ballot).

This does have the potential to complicate the 2008 presidential election, but as has been pointed out elsewhere, there's always some election or another in the offing. If the Terminator is willing to uphold the ruling, it will make it difficult to present a united Republican front in California at least. Maybe, just maybe, our friends who we visited in San Francisco will be able to get legally married at their wedding ceremony next April!

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