Swift Change?

From USA Today:

"Emboldened, gay marriage activists eye 50 states"

The Supreme Court ruling that struck down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act in June opened the door to an explosion of activity by gay marriage proponents. Today, they are waging their campaign on several fronts: filing lawsuits, encouraging public officials to defy state bans on gay marriage, and stepping up a push for state legislation. Since June, couples have filed 23 lawsuits to end bans in 21 states; governors and state attorneys general in at least three states have refused to defend their state bans in court; and county clerks in four states have issued marriage licenses to gay couples despite laws against it. Hawaii is considering legislation to allow gay marriage, and advocates are pushing for Oregon and Nevada to do the same next year. The movement that had been gaining strength even before the high court's ruling is embracing many of the same strategies of the 1960s civil rights movement. Yet opponents see these efforts as "lawless" attempts to circumvent the will of the majority of the country, including many places that have voted for gay marriage bans. The Supreme Court ruling invalidated a section of the 17-year-old DOMA that denied federal benefits, such as Social Security and joint tax filing, to married gay men and lesbians in the 14 states, and the District of Columbia, that allow gay marriage. That measure, the court declared, existed primarily "to demean those persons who are in a lawful same-sex marriage." The landmark decision emboldened activists to argue that if the federal government can't discriminate against married gay people, neither can the states.

Recent developments:

• On Oct. 21, New Jersey became the 14th state to allow gay marriage after a court ruled that a ban was unconstitutional. Republican Gov. Chris Christie dropped his opposition because he thought he would lose in the state Supreme Court, where the justices have ruled in favor of gay marriage in previous cases.

• On Oct. 17, Oregon's Department of Justice ruled that state agencies must recognize the unions of same-sex couples married legally in other states or countries, even though the state has a ban. That means treating gay married couples the same as straight couples for tax purposes and other state benefits, such as property rights and child custody. Activists hope to get a measure on the 2014 ballot to overturn the ban.

• Since August, some county clerks in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New Mexico have challenged state laws banning gay marriage by issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

The number of Americans who favor same-sex marriage has been creeping up. In the mid-1990s, opinion polls showed, at most a quarter of people supported gay marriage, says Michael Klarman, a Harvard law professor who wrote From the Closet to the Altar: Courts, Backlash, and the Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage. Fast-forward more than 15 years to a September poll by Bloomberg, which found that 55% of Americans support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. The national poll found 36% were opposed. Statistician Nate Silver, famous for accurately predicting the 2012 presidential vote in all 50 states, used a statistical analysis to forecast that by 2016, 31 states would be likely to favor gay marriage in a referendum, and by 2020, only six states — all in the South — would still be likely to vote against it. Thirty-five states ban same-sex marriage, most through constitutional amendments.

^ I wouldn't call the gay marriage fight in the US a swift change. It has taken 10 years since the first state (MA) allowed it and even decades more to get to that point. It is compared to the Civil Rights Movement for blacks and that really took-off in the 1950s and 1960s (so about 10 years of active resistance.) I don't understand how in the 2nd decade of the 21st Century people (especially in the United States) can openly discriminate against homosexuals. I consider banning them from marriage a form of discrimination as they can't enjoy the full state benefits that married heterosexuals can. I am glad that the trend is to change the status quo and hopefully that will mean that all the US states and territories will allow homosexuals to marry. I believe that it is important for heterosexuals to also join the :fight" for gay rights - through the Straight, but not Narrow standing. The Civil Rights Movement wouldn't have succeeded if white people hadn't been open-minded and joined and I firmly believe the same here. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/02/gay-marriage-states-supreme-court/3175799/