The states who want to ban same-sex marriage are starting to fall fast. Last month a federal judge in Utah ruled that such a ban violates the equal protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Only a couple of weeks later a federal judge in Oklahoma made that same ruling. Now a judge in Virginia has followed suit.On Thursday, Judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled in a 41-page ruling that Virginia's ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional saying:
"Tradition is revered in the Commonwealth, and often rightly so. However, tradition alone cannot justify denying same-sex couples the right to marry any more than it could justify Virginia's ban on interracial marriage."
And other states may soon follow. A suit is being heard in federal court in San Antonio right now seeking to overturn the same-sex marriage ban in Texas. Many people, including me, believe the San Antonio court is likely to follow the lead of the federal courts in Utah, Oklahoma, and Virginia. These rulings are currently not being enforced, as the courts are waiting to see what happens in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals (that is hearing Utah's appeal of the ruling in their state).
I may be wrong, but I'm starting to get the feeling that marriage equality will be a reality in all states very soon. And that's a very good thing, since equality denied to any group can easily be extended to all groups -- and equality under the law is one of the most important tenets of a democracy.
