Just to Recap: 30 States and DC Now Have Marriage Equality!

[Fearless]

That's: AK, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MA, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, & WI

Link to graphic: http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x08FxnUQNnUQpQyshZH66X0QB0k=/800x0/filters:no_upscale%28%29/cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2348038/same-sex_marriages_US.0.png

Five are pending appeal. We have cases in the courts in all remaining states.

Just in case you're keeping track...

Using 2013 population estimates: 187,008,206 of 316,128,839 citizens of the 50 states and DC now live in states with full marriage equality! 59.2% of our citizens now have full marriage equality rights!! We're past the tipping point!

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Kicking. Thank you. nt

[Behind the Aegis]

2. a visual

[Amimnoch]

4. I was pointing that our in another thread just a couple weeks ago :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113740694

I know people were disappointed that the SCOTUS didn't take up the cases. The fact that both sides were disappointed about it though should be enough of a red flag for us to be worried as well.

Personally, I was scared shitless that Kennedy was going to be a no vote. Kennedy helping us get equality on the federal level by that one critical vote in striking down DOMA was perfectly in line with his voting history, and came as no big surprise to me. However, remember, Kennedy is the only real swing decider of the court with only a few extremely rare exceptions. Kennedy generally sides with states rights over federal rights (look at the Prop 8 decision). It is because of that he was the one who really made DOMA go away.. but if they had chosen to hear these cases, it is quite possible that Kennedy would have sided with the states, and states rights... which would have not only stopped the states who gained equality by the court not deciding to hear the cases, but could have ended up with other states, where same sex marriage is now legal to pass laws that would once again bump us to 2nd class status.

Also remember, Prop 8 was was decided on because Roberts swung over to our side. Kennedy was in favor of states rights. The ONLY reason Roberts decided the way he did was because the defending arguments were not well made and generalized, and because the State of California didn't defend the amendment, but a private party did. Had the religious right not presented their case so poorly, or had the state of California defended the amendment, I have no doubt Roberts would have voted in favor of the defendants, and California would now be illegal to marry, with a SCOTUS decision backing it.. We'd be HUGELY setback. If the SCOTUS had chosen to hear the cases in this last round, most were actually being defended by the states representing the laws... Our chance of getting either Kennedy or Roberts to decide in favor of our rights against the states was very slim in my estimation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113740694

LOL, rant off, and accept my apology for just spouting. I do know this isn't all really the subject of your reply

[dbackjon]

7. Great visual - need to add Alaska to it now!

[Amimnoch]

3. K&R! Thanks, I couldn't agree more just how great and fast we are moving ahead.

It's almost mind numbing just how far our rights have progressed in just the last 10 years, especially the last 6.

Fully equal? not yet, but I will say, I feel a LOT more like a part of the citizenry than some kind of freakish outcast who is constantly reminded how I should be ashamed of who I am than I did just 10 years ago.

[nightscanner59]

5. Hear! Hear!

As fully disenfranchised as I was, disowned by parents, lived as a homeless runaway, still only have the ramshackles of a home I seldom get to. I'm so ashamed of the bigotry and vitriol the conservatives hold out. Things would certainly have been far different for me even now, 40 years after being banished from home.
The "slippery slope" BS some preach as being their "justification" for continually plugging us into the second-class citizenry just makes me want to hurl. Exactly which part of "consenting adults" don't they get?

[nightscanner59]

6. God knows it's way past time.

It's absolutely repulsive to me there still are millions of neanderthals who want all this progress reversed, and I shudder to think of a republican congress after the election doing just that.