It looks like another state has fallen in the battle for equal rights -- and this time it is one of the reddest states of all. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Terence Kern in Tulsa struck down Oklahoma's constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. The judge ruled that the ban violated the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees equal rights to all citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment.But same-sex couples in Oklahoma cannot immediately start getting married (as more than 1200 couples did in Utah when their ban was overturned). That's because the judge stayed the execution of his ruling until the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals can hear and rule on the Utah case (which is almost identical to the ruling in Oklahoma). Unless the Supreme Court steps in, the appeals court ruling will determine the fate of same-sex marriages in both Utah and Oklahoma.
This does not really surprise me all that much, because attitudes are changing fast in the United States. A recent YouGov Poll (taken between January 4th and 6th of 1,000 randomly chosen adults nationwide, with a margin of error of 3.9 points) showed that 70% of Americans are in favor of either sam-sex marriage or legal civil unions (granting same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples have through marriage). Only 23% of Americans don't approve of same-sex couples being bonded with a legal ceremony.
Two other findings from that same poll reflect just how much things are changing in this country. About 75% (or three out of four people) now believe same-sex marriages will be legal across the country within 30 years. And 63% now believe homosexuality is a life-style that should be accepted by society.
