Big Beautiful Dreamer
ridiculously contented
On Monday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a case from Virginia prohibiting same-sex marriage. Hold that thought. We'll get back to it.
In 2007, no states had legal gay marriage, although a few allowed civil unions or domestic-partner registrations.
Seven years later, gay marriage is legal in 20 states plus the District of Columbia -- nearly half the country. (Nearly.)
I am astounded at the pace at which gay marriage is becoming legal, state by state. It's also interesting to me to track the geography of legality:
The first states to allow gay marriage were in the Northeast: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey. All blue states, all with demographically higher income levels and education levels per household.
Next came California, which surprised nobody.
After that were another couple of Northeastern states, Maine and New Hampshire, plus DC. And Iowa.
Yup. The quintessentially midwestern, corn-fed, deep-rooted conservative, Jell-O salad, Iowa.
Followed by Illinois (Chicagoland, plus a lot of downstate that mimics Iowa, demographically), Hawaii, and New York.
Then came Washington state (skews liberal) and Maryland. Okay, we're beginning to skirt the South, but Maryland also skews liberal.
Followed by Colorado, Rhode Island, Delaware. Colorado was a bit of a surprise because while it is true that there are a lot of gay-marriage supporters, it also has a heavy concentration of professional gay-marriage opponents, including Focus on the Family.
Then came Minnesota. (see: Iowa.)
New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania -- which has a fair number of gay-marriage supporters but, like Colorado, a lot of bedrock gay-marriage opponents.
Gay marriage has by now definitively jumped the fence and escaped the Northeast and Pacific Northwest and is trickling into unexpected areas...
To be joined by More Unexpected Areas: Wisconsin, Indiana, Utah (Really? Utah?), Kentucky (see: Utah), and Oklahoma.
And now, astonishingly, a circuit court that covers Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina...
has ruled unconstitutional a ban on same-sex marriage in a Virginia case.
All 8 other states in which a court declared gay marriage unconstitutional, now have legal gay marriage.
That means that, in another year or two, gay marriage could become legal in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
For your consideration.
In 2007, no states had legal gay marriage, although a few allowed civil unions or domestic-partner registrations.
Seven years later, gay marriage is legal in 20 states plus the District of Columbia -- nearly half the country. (Nearly.)
I am astounded at the pace at which gay marriage is becoming legal, state by state. It's also interesting to me to track the geography of legality:
The first states to allow gay marriage were in the Northeast: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey. All blue states, all with demographically higher income levels and education levels per household.
Next came California, which surprised nobody.
After that were another couple of Northeastern states, Maine and New Hampshire, plus DC. And Iowa.
Yup. The quintessentially midwestern, corn-fed, deep-rooted conservative, Jell-O salad, Iowa.
Followed by Illinois (Chicagoland, plus a lot of downstate that mimics Iowa, demographically), Hawaii, and New York.
Then came Washington state (skews liberal) and Maryland. Okay, we're beginning to skirt the South, but Maryland also skews liberal.
Followed by Colorado, Rhode Island, Delaware. Colorado was a bit of a surprise because while it is true that there are a lot of gay-marriage supporters, it also has a heavy concentration of professional gay-marriage opponents, including Focus on the Family.
Then came Minnesota. (see: Iowa.)
New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania -- which has a fair number of gay-marriage supporters but, like Colorado, a lot of bedrock gay-marriage opponents.
Gay marriage has by now definitively jumped the fence and escaped the Northeast and Pacific Northwest and is trickling into unexpected areas...
To be joined by More Unexpected Areas: Wisconsin, Indiana, Utah (Really? Utah?), Kentucky (see: Utah), and Oklahoma.
And now, astonishingly, a circuit court that covers Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina...
has ruled unconstitutional a ban on same-sex marriage in a Virginia case.
All 8 other states in which a court declared gay marriage unconstitutional, now have legal gay marriage.
That means that, in another year or two, gay marriage could become legal in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
For your consideration.
