Tiny little barely-detectable Delaware has just become the 11th state to approve same sex marriage.
The rhetoric today was heated, as religious leaders invited to speak by the bill’s opponents condemned homosexuality for multiple hours. Conservative witnesses and senators alike repeatedly sought explanations for why people should not be free to discriminate against same-sex couples, even though such discrimination is already illegal under Delaware law.
Why should we not be free to discriminate against same-sex couples? Why, why, WHY?
It’s a tide.
Rhode Island became the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage just last week, Minnesota may be primed to become the 12th state perhaps as soon as later this week, and Illinois is also within “striking distance” of passing legislation.
If Minnesota and Illinois can, surely Kansas and North Dakota will not be far behind.
Ooh! Ooh! Texas too!
Well, maybe the Republic of Austin….
So homosexuality is now okay with the religious leaders, provided that you stop before 60 minutes are up? Ba-doum ksh.
Hahaha
I’m not really versed in the legal differences between marriage and “civil unions”, but we’ve had CUs here in DE for a few years. It almost seems like the real meat of the work was done back then, and it’s just taken a while for more than half our legislators to become brave enough to attach the “M” word to the concept. Glad they’ve finally done it, though.
I look forward to reading outraged letters to the editor in what passes for the local paper.
Oh, but not Oklahoma. No way. Not without much screaming and gnashing of teeth.
mobius: “Oh, but not Oklahoma. No way. Not without much screaming and gnashing of teeth.”
The greatest invention of religion is the self-gnashing tooth. Science, you can keep your antibiotics, your flying machines and your confounded thinking machines, here is something the religious zealots actually need!
I get that tiny RI and DE are not going to change the balance much, but presumably Illinois and Minnesota as much bigger states could potentially make a big difference to the proportion of Americans who can marry freely. Is somebody keeping count? How many Americans could just up and get gay married right now?
22% of the states and counting. I hope that means there is no way the Supreme Court can let DOMA stay in place now.
Delaware is less of a state and really more of an abnormally large strip mall.
In all seriousness, though, it’s good to hear. One more down, too many to go.