This week, the New York state Assembly voted 89-52 to allow marriage equality for same-sex couples. The legislation now moves to the state Senate.
In 2007, similar legislation passed the Assembly and stalled in the then-Republican-controlled Senate. This year, Democrats have a slight majority in the upper house, but not all senators back gay marriage.
If approved, Gov. David Paterson has already said he would sign the legislation.
The impact of New York on gay marriage cannot be understated. At present, five states have same-sex marriage: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine and Vermont (the last two effective in September). New Hampshire’s legislature approved similar legislation earlier this month, which may or may not be approved by the governor.
In California, the state Supreme Court is considering an appeal of Proposition 8, a referendum that overturned gay marriage in the state; a decision is expected by June.
After years of activism on the issue, it seems as though this is a watershed moment.
But despite the rapid progress in a few states, many, many more still ban same-sex marriage and any similar unions.
And the issue of basic rights — and if marriage is a distraction — is not lost on activists. Some believe marriage is the highest priority for gays and lesbians; others feel the community should work toward gaining employment protections and overturning the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers first.
The truth is, all three are important goals that require education, conversation and outreach. Only by telling family, friends, coworkers and elected representatives will the community demonstrate who is affected by discrimination (overt and covert) and how.
And this goes beyond just coming out. To truly demonstrate the importance, LGBT individuals need to discuss how the discriminatory laws and the lack of protections affect them. They need to tell their stories. They need to be specific.
While equality may be speeding up on some issues in some parts of the country, others lag far behind. But as more people are open about their sexual orientation and prejudice dies off (literally and figuratively), progress will come. And considering how long it took to overturn sodomy laws, marriage is moving fast.