June 26, 2013 by David K. Sutton
Same-Sex Marriage: Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA, Prop 8 – Voices Of Intolerance Wither
Do you hear those voices of bigoted dissent? Do you hear those decrying today’s DOMA and Prop 8 rulings by the Supreme Court? Do you hear the people talking about children and family as if they represent the final authority on such matters?
What the Court has done will undermine the best interest of children and the best interests of the United States – Representative Michele Bachmann (MN)
Well, as you can see, those voices still exist, and they aren’t going away anytime soon, but what we do know is this — these voices of bigotry and intolerance will continue to fade into the background in the years to come. More states will vote on referendums or pass legislation recognizing same-sex marriage. Time will march on. Intolerance will wither. Fifty years from now, today’s voices of bigoted dissent will be judged, at best, as quaint and old-fashioned.
Today the Supreme Court ruled Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of federal benefits, as unconstitutional. They called it a violation of the equal protection clause. This means married same-sex couples will now have access to the same federal benefits as married opposite-sex couples.
The high court also ruled that supporters of California’s Prop 8, which banned same-sex marriage, did not have legal standing to appeal a federal court ruling which had previously struck down the discriminatory law. That means Prop 8 is dead, and same-sex marriages can now resume in the most populated state in the country.
People who are against same-sex marriage continue to ignore a simple distinction between personal beliefs and civil rights. They are free to believe same-sex marriage is wrong. What they are not free to do is impose their beliefs on others. Today’s Supreme Court rulings reaffirmed that distinction.
