Boy, I could only cautiously optimistically hope so! I think after what we experienced in 2004 (those of us who were among the 6000 plus individuals who obtained a same-sex marriages in Oregon) many of us have watched the unfolding California gay marriage victory with a sense of detachment… maybe even skepticism? That may be due to what Measure 36 took from us roughly one year after those happy unions took place (although the vote was in Nov. 04, the marriage licenses were not “nullified” until April 05).
However, with the new victory for same-sex marriage in California comes an undercurrent… or maybe aftershocks… some are starting to wonder what this could mean for Oregon. I have had comments from “queerunity” to this effect, and also read an article in the Oregonian mentioning these themes.
Food for thought at least… from the Oregonian:
“In Oregon, though, some are sitting back and watching all of this with a certain amount of detachment, wondering how it really affects us. California may be the land of cosmic vibrations, and Oregon has come under its spell a time or two. But even if our minds are open, our Constitution contains a formidable barrier.
Sure, gay and lesbian couples from Oregon will go down to California to get married. But their marriages won’t be recognized here. In 2004, Oregonians approved Measure 36, a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
In 2007, the Oregon Legislature softened the sting by approving domestic partnerships. This week, an effort fizzled that would have challenged those partnerships on the ballot next November. It would be a mistake to read too much into its collapse perhaps, but there is no question public opinion is changing — in the direction of fairness and quiet acceptance.
A wedding is an Earth-shaking day for the two people involved, their kin and perhaps a few excitable wedding guests. But for everybody else, civilization goes on, and the couple just becomes more quietly, deeply a part of it.
These two forces in collision in the debate over same-sex marriage, love and tradition, are not unchanging, of course. Ultimately, as some of the lovers in California will discover to their sorrow, marriage can dissolve.
And tradition can evolve.
Thus, for all those imagining Measure 36 has silenced discussion in Oregon, and that nothing California does will reopen it, we’d just caution: Not so fast. The speed of enlightenment is slow. But reverberations from momentous change never stop at a state border.“
I sure hope Californias ruling is not overturned. Many americans are very threatened these days I hope they do not take the anger out on us in November.
I am with you on that Dit!! I am crossing my fingers and holding out hope that no particular political group will take out their agenda on the California same sex victory in November.