Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Marriage Equality Tide Sets the Stage for This Year's Pride



The Republican-led Senate in New York voted last night to legalize same sex marriage by a small margin. The Democrat-dominated Assembly voted 80 to 63 in favor of the bill on Wednesday. Once it is signed into law by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo -- whose
leadership on this issue was instrumental to its success -- New York will become the sixth and largest state to recognize gay marriage, joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia. The number of American citizens living in states where gay marriage is legal effectively doubles at that point. All eyes now turn to California, where a judge last year overturned a bigoted ballot initiative banning gay marriage. For now, no queer weddings (discounting the queerness of notionally straight celebrity weddings) can take place in California while the decision continues to be appealed by the ever more desperate and ridiculous opponents of marriage equality here. It could set national policy if the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court (given the ugly authoritarian bent of the Movement Conservative majority there, the mind reels at the prospect), but even if it does not go so far, a victory for marriage equality in California would increase by many more millions the number of citizens living in states where the simple decency and sanity of marriage equality prevails. The momentum of queer struggles for equity-in-diversity, coming on the high-heels of the ending of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the proliferation of queer folks in the media, the rising generation of Americans for whom antigay bigotry and the closet are utterly alien and nonsensical is growing stronger and stronger, and the kids will have lots to celebrate at this year's Pride.

No comments: