The Gay Thing: Marriage Equality Comes to Missouri (and Maybe Kansas)

With the gigantic Republican swing in the Senate and House, many gay people like myself immediately bristled: "what are they going to try to do?" The marriage equality wave has been bigger and more sustained than even this Republican wave (which, let's face it, was powered by a combination of overly-motivated conservatives, and under-motivated liberals). Up until now, there has been a lot of squawking by conservatives about gay marriage, and futile efforts at slowing it down, but it keeps coming, state-by-state, and even the Supreme Court seems to not care about slowing it down.

April Dawn Breeden & Crystal Peirs at their St. Louis wedding.
Image from source, St. Louis Tribune.

So, I figured we were finally a dead issue. But with their new position, who can be sure what Republicans will do? Will they take this bullshit issue about "sincerely held religious beliefs," couple it with the Hobby Lobby decision, and come up with religious exemptions to civil rights laws? Will they push for a "Federal Marriage Amendment?" Will they come up with something we haven't thought of yet, to demonize gay people, or otherwise try to keep us at second-class status? They might. They might do a lot of crazy stuff. Or, just maybe, they'll be so busy trying to repeal ObamaCare, and with trying to impeach the President over something (anything will likely do), they'll decide we're not worth the trouble.

In any event, it was some consolation to the dismal election returns, to find good news on the marriage equality front in both Kansas and Missouri! Neither is all the way over the finish line, though Missouri will be soon, and Kansas quick to follow. 2/3 of the states now have equal marriage. At this rate, regardless of what they throw at us, we'll get to 50 before they gather a strategy. I hope...

[Excerpt]

Judge overturns Missouri ban on gay marriage

A state judge overturned Missouri’s constitutional ban on gay marriage Wednesday in a ruling that immediately set off a rush among some same-sex couples to apply for marriage licenses. St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison said in a written ruling that Missouri’s measure recognizing marriage only between a man and woman violates the due process and equal protection rights of the U.S. Constitution. The decision mirrored ones handed down recently in several other states. . .

Read more at: St. Louis Tribune


[Excerpt]

Kansas ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional: judge
 
Same-sex couples may soon be able to marry in Kansas following a federal judge's ruling on Tuesday that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree granted a preliminary injunction stopping Kansas from enforcing its ban on gay marriage and put the ruling on hold until Nov. 11 to give Kansas an opportunity to appeal. . .

Read more at: Reuters