Debating Gay Marriage After the Prop 8 Decision

By U.S. News Staff

August 9, 2010 RSS Feed Print

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Last week U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that California's Proposition 8--which bans same-sex marriage--is unconstitutional. By nullifying the votes of nearly 7 million Californians, Thomas Jefferson Street blogger Peter Roff says Walker's decision has forced the question of whether gay marriage is good for America. But it has also raised concerns over governmental abuse of power. "The debate over gay marriage is, for some, a case in which government policy is being misused as a way to secure popular validation of a lifestyle to which some people, on moral grounds, strongly object," Roff writes.

What do you think? Is gay marriage good for America? Or is the way in which it is or isn't legitimized--by a judgment handed down from the government--too controversial? Take our poll and post your thoughts below.

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Tags:: LGBT rights,; Proposition 8,; California,; marriage

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I've not read about Prop 8, but what I do know is that it is unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. I'm not talking about Domestic Partnerships, or Civil Unions, I mean full fledged marriage. Every human has the unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness, and the voters and states that ban same-sex couples from marriage are infringing on that right. Therefore, my argument is that its entirely unconstitutional to ban a person from marrying the one they love.

Caitlin Miller of KS 1:38PM March 22, 2011

Since it is not illegal to be gay, there is absolutely no legitimate legal basis on which to deny gay people anything their straight counterparts enjoy. Period. There just isn't.
Read the Prop 8 trial transcripts. The supporters of Prop 8 basically just sat there with nothing to say. They know darn well their arguments are not based in anything related to the constitution. They might as well have not shown up at all.
How much longer is bigotry against gays going to go on in this supposed bastion of freedom, liberty and equality before we finally do the right thing and put an end to it?
"I believe all Americans who believe in freedom, tolerance and human rights have a responsibility to oppose bigotry and prejudice based on sexual orientation. Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood. This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group."
--Coretta Scott King

Bucky Winston of NV 7:13PM August 10, 2010

Judge Walker did not "nullify the votes of nearly 7 million Californians." The fault lies not with Judge Walker. Matters of civic equality should never be put on a ballot in the first place. Read his ruling. Unless you can find a legitimate argument on legal grounds, griping about it now is nothing but sour grapes of people who care more about forcing their morals on others than they do about the U.S. Constitution.

Madeline of CA 7:07PM August 10, 2010

Debating Gay Marriage After the Prop 8 Decision

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