I think, if someone had asked me, I would have said the California Supreme Court won’t overturn Prop 8. As much as I would have liked them to, it’s asking them to negate a fundamental governing process that allows the people of California to change their laws and their constitution. To decide any other way is to allow for all future ballot measures to be brought before a small group of judges to be approved or not approved. Thus, the people of California would, in essence, lose the right to govern themselves.
That’s not to say I didn’t want Prop 8 overturned or if the court had found grounds to do so that I would have disagreed.
But, I am not surprised. Sure, I’m disappointed, but oddly, there are no feelings of outrage or defeat. I’ve been asking myself why, exactly, for the last day or so and mostly I have come to the conclusion it’s Iowa’s fault.
Iowa. That bastion of alternative lifestyles, liberal thinking and defacto Mecca for homosexuals everywhere.
Wait.
That’s not right, is it?
It still freaks me out that Iowa has approved same-sex marriage. Be honest, it’s the very last place you expected it to happen. But it did.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Iowa. To me, that says a tipping point has been reached. So California has screwed things up for themselves. I have faith that the 48% of folks who voted against Prop 8 are not going to stop fighting, that they will convince a few more folks that we all have the right to marry who we want and it’s not a function of government to preserve the sanctity of anything.
They will vote on it again. And if it fails, vote on it again.
Mark Morford, who writes for the San Francisco Gate, pointed out some key statistics that show each year, more people are in favor of same-sex marriage being legal. In two-decades, there has never been a drop on the number who support it, only growth. He also points out that our kids are coming up in a very different world with views on homosexuals that are radically different than some of their grandparents.
The point? If you accept that people’s beliefs are indeed changing over time and will continue in the same direction they have for over a generation, legally recognized same-sex marriage is a foregone conclusion.
I believe it is and that’s why I am not dwelling on the disappointment of yesterday’s decision. If anything, the California Supreme Court has ensured that when the voters in California do vote to legalize same-sex marriage, someone won’t be able to run to the Supreme Court and have them overturn the will of the voters.
There is a mountain to climb and work to be done. But as long as people keep climbing and fighting…they will reach the top and it will happen.
