LGBT News Oregon's SSM ban decision to be published Monday at noon

I love how they're all falling like dominoes. I didn't think it would be so fast, or so lovely.

 

Alright, As of this post it's 12:08 PM.

---------- Post added 19th May 2014 at 12:09 PM ----------

Just strike it down already!

 

Judge Strikes Down Oregon Gay Marriage Ban - ABC News

Oregon has officially legalized same-sex marriage.

 

WOOHOO! All 3 States on the West coast now have same-sex marriage! ride:

 

Woohoo! Congratulations, Oregon. No words can describe how happy I am

 

I think this was a foregone yet happy conclusion. The state of Oregon was refusing to defend the ban. The Democratic Attorney General of Oregon denounced the ban as unconstitutional. SCOTUS has already ruled in the Prop H8 case that outside groups do not have standing to defend these bans in court, so there was nobody even to defend it.

So now the West Coast is a total marriage equality zone, joining the Northeast. Entire regions of the country have now legalized marriage equality. ride:

The Midwest is getting there, and we'll probably see more progress in the liberal states of the Mountain West (Colorado, Nevada) soon too.

But it's going to start to look like the old slave state/free state maps, as entire regions of the country legalize marriage equality, while one region in particular will fight tooth and nail against marriage equality until it is dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century (guess which one?).

The country will be continue to grow more polarized until the older generations die off.

 

Best part is, during the first court meeting, there was nobody there to defend the ban! It was just the plaintiffs trying to talk the judge into striking down the ban.

 

Fucking finally! Waiting for this for years. But it's about damn time and I'm not surprised at all about things turned out. West Oregon's one of the best places to live if you're LGBG and this is just one more chip on the chocolate chip cookie.

Here's hoping the rest of the dominoes fall.

 

Fucking finally! Waiting for this for years. But it's about damn time and I'm not surprised at all about things turned out. West Oregon's one of the best places to live if you're LGBG and this is just one more chip on the chocolate chip cookie.

Here's hoping the rest of the dominoes fall.

 

I was having just these thoughts, looking at the map.

One weird thing: Arizona. How did the place ever get as conservative as it is? I've never quite understood why it's so much crazier, compared to NM and Colorado, and with CA right next door. My theory, is that all these old white folks from CA moved there to retire where it was cheaper. But other forces seem to be at work, as well...you have the rootin'-tootin' fastest shootin' gun crowd, the anti-immigrant crowd, that nutty 'Sheriff Joe' character...the place makes me wonder.

 

Arizona is older and whiter than surrounding states (excluding much more conservative Mormon Utah). It really isn't super-conservative in terms of overall share of the population and votes, it's just that conservatives hold an overall majority of voters. It's home to a lot of old white retirees from California but also from the Northeast and Midwest who are seeking to escape the cold and settle in a hot climate. Mitt Romney won the state 53-44, not exactly a landslide. It probably will trend Democratic eventually as the Hispanic population grows and young Hispanics reach voting age.

Oddly, in the 1996 presidential election, Arizona did vote for Democrat Bill Clinton, while Colorado voted for Republican Bob Dole.

But today Colorado is probably the most socially liberal state in the Mountain West, a lot of it driven by white liberals who have moved there from California, many to the Denver area or Boulder. Legal marijuana passed there decisively (while failing in Oregon), and while the state did pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage back in 2006, it was one of the narrowest margins of any state, with 45% voting against it, so I have no doubt marriage equality is a majority view there in 2014. (By contrast, Oregon passed its marriage ban in 2004 by a 57-43 margin)

New Mexico and Nevada are both Democratic nowadays, though I'm not sure how strong support is for same-sex marriage in those states, since the Democratic support is dependent upon Hispanic voters who haven't exactly been the most ardent supporters of marriage equality. Nevada passed its same-sex marriage ban with 66% of the vote. Arizona passed its ban with 56%, by comparison.

New Mexico had no constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, it had no statute banning same-sex marriage, in fact it was the only state in the nation to have absolutely no laws on the books that would prohibit same-sex marriage, so it was easy pickings for us to win in the courtroom.

Meanwhile even liberal California passed it's notorious Prop H8 in 2008, again with Hispanic (and black) Democratic voters making the difference as Barack Obama won the state with 61% of the vote in the same election.

I think ultimately the judicial system will end up legalizing marriage equality in Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona.

But if not, Colorado would probably be the first to repeal its anti-gay marriage amendment and pass marriage equality legislatively or at the ballot box.

Arizona and Nevada are tossups, I just don't see either racing toward marriage equality before the courts get to it- and both currently have Republican governors. We do have an advantage in Nevada since Democrats control both houses of the legislature, while the GOP controls both houses in Arizona (giving us that "freedom to discriminate" bill that was too extreme even for Jan Brewer).

 

Super DUPER exciting!!! Hope the same happens in my state!

 

buck yeah go oregon

can't wait for this to happen in my state, though that'll probably be a loooooooooong time