Gay marriage: So what? It's just about dead as a political issue

[SteelCityDem]

Eight years is an eon in politics. Witness the waning potency of the gay-marriage issue.

During the 2004 campaign, Republican strategists put gay marriage on referendum ballots in key swing states as a "wedge" issue to unnerve Democrats and gin up the conservative base for President George W. Bush. The Massachusetts high court had just ruled for legalization, and hostility toward the concept was the centrist position in America.

This is no longer true.

Granted, social conservatives voiced anger Tuesday when, for the first time, a federal court of appeals declared that gay marriage was a constitutional expression of equal rights. But most Americans will shrug and move on. As evidenced by all the polls, tolerance is the new centrism.

Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/12043/1209422-109.stm?cmpid=newspanel#ixzz1mHfra84u

[Report1212]

1. Are there any states really pushing it as a ballot issue?

I know Chris Christie is, but maybe just to block SSM.

[xchrom]

2. i think it's 6 states have pending anti-marriage equality ammendments happening.

[rox63]

3. NH's legislature is trying to repeal same-sex marriage

It's been legal there for a couple of years. They took a seriously wingnut turn in the 2010 election.

[johnnypneumatic]

4. sorry, this couldn't be more wrong

This is just spin. People might wish the whole issue would go away so that they can safely ignore it and safely do nothing to help, but LGBT people still have to deal with homophobia and state-established persecution every day, as our lives and our families continue to be disrespected and ignored.

DOMA is still the law of the land. If marriage equality was a "dead political issue" then all of the democrats in the house of reps would have signed on to co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, along with a good number of republicans. But of 435 house members, only 138 have signed on (only 1 republican). In other words, it is not going to be voted on or passed for a long time. Equality is still a long way off.
http://www.freedomtomarry.org/resources/entry/list-of-co-sponsors