While the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before the ban are still deemed to be valid, some protesters are saying this isn't enough in the fight to provide LGBT couples the equal right to be legally married.
At present, same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Maine, Iowa, and Massachusetts. Vermont will become the fifth state in September, while legislation has been introduced in New York and New Hampshire.
This CNN telephone poll of more than 2,000 Americans asking whether same-sex marriages should be valid parallels the Proposition 8 election results with 54% of those surveyed saying they should not be recognized. Interestingly, in a breakdown by age, 58% of the respondants aged 18 to 34-years old said they thought gay marriage should be legalized. That percentage drops as the age rises, with 42% of 35-49-year olds polled supporting legal same-sex marriages, 41% in the 50-64 category, and only 24% of those aged 65 and older.
Bill Schneider, a CNN senior political analyst, said this "hot-button issue" could be risky for Republicans if it is included in the debate over today's Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.
"Young voters strongly favor marriage equality. They're the future of American politics," Schneider commented.
I hope Schneider is right. And I hope my Facebook and Twitter tribe members are an indication that our generation is far from complacent when it comes to making sure everyone has the right to get married, whether they choose to exercise it or not.
I wish that I could offer up a committed Californian couple my own right to get married. Seriously -- if there was a committed Californian couple out there who wanted it, I probably would hand it over. For now, that will remain a wish. The bigger dream for me is that the only thing happening in the court house for same-sex couples who want to be wed is applying for marriage licenses, not a Supreme Court debate about whether those folks can actually be legally married.
I'm relying on those people ranting and raving online -- particularly those of us in that "supportive" 50 and under age bracket -- to make sure that idealism becomes a reality in California, in my state, and hopefully, in each one of the United States. Considering the current system, that might make me a dreamer. But if the dream I am holding is that love makes a marriage more than the biology of the partners, I'm fine with that fantasy.
What do you think? Is legalizing same-sex marriage a dream or necessity in California, your state, and our country?
[photo credit: Getty Images]
