Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Marriage equality? Great Never effected me before won't effect me after." It's funny. I was just reading a thread from 2008 where you said exactly the dame thing as DAR. At least you're consistent with your lack of compassion.
Originally Posted By ecdc No, it's just saying you don't care what happens to other people unless it affects you.
Originally Posted By ecdc We could substitute: Equal pay for women? Great. Never affected me before won't affect me after. School integration? Great. Never affected me before won't affect me after. Ah, the privilege of the white heterosexual male.
Originally Posted By u k fan This is great news! Slowly, but surely more of the world is getting on board with same-sex marriage. I feel like I'm witnessing history being made here!!!
Originally Posted By tiggertoo Thank God the Supreme Court can undo terrible wrongs against our fellow citizens. I'm a happy Mormon (albeit less active). I going to lurk into my Facebook channel as see what my extended family is saying.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 As important as today's decisions are, I found this quote that adds some perspective: "I think it's important that the public be reminded that while this is a great victory, not everybody needs to get married or wants to get married, but everyone needs a job," he said. "If you're fired for being gay, if you're denied credit for being gay, if you're denied housing for being gay, you still don't have any federal protections." It's still legal to fire someone for being gay in over 30 states. It's still legal to do all the things mentioned above that you can't do on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, etc. in those states. Today is a great victory. The fight continues.
Originally Posted By ecdc Here's a fun fact via Nate Silver: By Aug 1st, 30% of Americans will live somewhere with marriage equality, compared to 23% of Europeans.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 Post 23.-You're marriage has the same effect on my life as Dabob's which is zero. My life didn't drastically change because of this decision. My parents neighbors are gay, my response was oh really. Being gay is not a big deal. Being married and gay is also not a big deal. And instead of getting into a peeing contest with the LDS or religious right the response from the gay marriage proponents should have been who cares what you think.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "And instead of getting into a peeing contest with the LDS or religious right the response from the gay marriage proponents should have been who cares what you think." Not when they are funding initiatives to the tune of $20 million. You better believe I care what they think. The lesson here is that everything is a peeing contest, especially when it involves politics.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "It's still legal to fire someone for being gay in over 30 states. It's still legal to do all the things mentioned above that you can't do on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, etc. in those states." Glad I don't live in one of those 30 states. Can't wait till marriage equality is passed in Oregon! Just a matter of time. My daughters best friend's mom is a good friend of mine, and happens to be gay. She's in a relationship and they want to get married. Breaks my heart and angers me all at the same time that they can't! Come on Oregon!
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I don't think that it's legal to fire someone for being gay any more, even if state law allows it. The Supreme Court decision yesterday identifies gays as a class of people whose rights were violated by DOMA, so precedence is now set in case law. If someone is fired because they are gay, then they are being fired because of their class. Also, federal law forbids discrimination based on marital status and if someone is fired, not hired, or can't rent an apartment because their spouse is the same sex that they are it is a federal offense. The state doesn't play in to it. That's why the other half of DOMA is going to fall in the next couple of years - states will no longer be able to deny benefits to any married couple regardless of their gender.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I don't think that it's legal to fire someone for being gay any more, even if state law allows it. > I'm not sure about that. In theory it COULD be true, but there's no question it still goes on in some states, and I think there will have to be an actual court decision that states what you just stated before it's actually illegal. (Also, remember the decision yesterday made pains to point out that it only applied in states where same-sex marriage was legal.)
Originally Posted By TomSawyer There'll be a full faith and credit case in front of the court as soon as the first state where gay marriage isn't allowed denies some federal benefit or protection to a same-sex couple.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I agree, but "as soon as" is a relative term: to get through the lower courts back to SCOTUS will take at least a couple of years, even if the original case was brought just a few months from now.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 I've been thinking about something and I should clarify my belief about same sex marriage. It is a big deal that the supreme court recognizes same sex marriages. But a same sex couple is just another married couple to me. If that makes sense.
