<p>^ Consolation - And if DOMA has said that ^^^ instead of “Marriage shall be defined as Man/Woman … and NO WE AREN’T CHANGING THE LANGUAGE IN ANY EXISTING LAWS” then there might not have been a Court challenge.</p>
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Lower taxes, better schools for their kids. Less (marginally) dysfunctional government.</p>
<p>Overturning DOMA will be seen as a major step in U.S. civil rights.</p>
<p>On a personal level, I’m pleased one friend and her wife will no longer have immigration issues. My friend is an American and she’s married to a woman who is a citizen from another country and they have had all sorts of difficulties because of DOMA. Now her wife has the same legal status as any non-citizen spouse.</p>
<p>I’ll be attending two marriages this summer, both between two women. One couple has been together for 30 years and the other for 17 years. They would have married long ago if it had been possible. My state adopted marriage equality in November 2012. It’s so great that they will have the same legal rights and recognition as other married couples.</p>
<p>ldavis - From a legal standpoint, look at it this way … What if DOMA had said “Marriage shall be defined as the union between to adults of the SAME gender.” </p>
<p>Can you see persons in Man/Woman unions might be upset with that? (And if you’re thinking “but that’s not the same thing at all” please recall that we’re referring to a legal perspective.) I would have preferred what Consolation suggested … but that option wasn’t on the menu.</p>
<p>While I respect those with different views, I find it odd that people think G-d wants marriage to be between one man and one woman, considering that there is so much polygamy in our religious texts.</p>
<p>“Lower taxes … Less (marginally) dysfunctional government.”</p>
<p>Wow, who knew there was ANOTHER New Jersey? (The one I was referring to is on the west side of the Hudson River.)</p>
<p>My son, who is gay, wanted to be married an as our religion allows same-sex marriage, he wants a church wedding. His father and I got married before a judge in my Aunt’s living room. My son and his husband will be the one’s with a “traditional” marriage.
Also, not all babies are the result of a “union” of a man and a woman. I shouldn’t even have to point that out in this day and age.</p>
<p>Idavis… “lifestyle choices” ? What does that mean?</p>
<p>Fourth of July next week. Let’s all be thankful that we can celebrate “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in a meaningful way.</p>
<p>DOMA is wonderful for all gay teens, too.</p>
<p>DS told me that he had Facebook friends who were coming out yesterday, saying they were so happy that they could now have fuller marriage rights.</p>
<p>Imagine if you were a gay kid who was being bullied. Between the DOMA and Prop 8 cases, yesterday was a huge day.</p>
<p>As of August 2013, about a third of Americans will live in states where gay people can marry.</p>
<p>The next states to change will likely be Oregon, Hawaii, New Jersey, Ohio and Illinois.</p>
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Obviously you don’t know it. New Jersey has lower taxes than NYC, better schools and a somewhat less dysfunctional government. They have a mess, but we have Vito Lopez and Sheldon Silver and Anthony Weiner.</p>
<p>I’m from Staten Island, the wannabe Jerseyite community that shops in and commutes through New Jersey because it’s cheaper (by a lot) and more efficient.</p>
<p>Thanks, zoos. Newhope, you live in Connecticut? I guess that explains it.</p>
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<p>Some have suggested getting the government out of the business of recognizing marriage, and just renaming marriages to be civil unions for any legal purposes. Of course, people can call their civil unions marriages in this scenario if they like.</p>
<p>But perhaps the big issue with calling something a “marriage” versus a “civil union” would be how such things are recognized when such a contract is entered in one jurisdiction and the parties involve relocate to another (it is also unusual in that the legal rights and duties associated with such a contract automatically change when entering another jurisdiction).</p>
<p>Now that I’m thinking about this…not only has no one ever challenged my right to refer to our purely civil union as a marriage, no one has ever suggested that the fact that is took a man, a woman, a reproductive endocrinologist and a boat load of cash to make our baby made us somehow “less than” real parents.</p>
<p>It’s only when same-sex couples do what we did that people object and that is nothing but hypocritical.</p>
<p>Personally, outside of my own denomination, I don’t really care what God thinks about marriage. Beyond one’s personal religious experience, which should remain private, the state does have a role in marriage. I don’t support civil unions. Consenting adults should get married if they want the rights of the institution and the state then imposes its legal responsibilities on them. Win-win. However, I firmly believe (and no I can’t make a legal case for this) that ONLY consenting adults should ever be able to get married.</p>
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<p>Polygamy is probably not popular with religious conservatives uncomfortable with significantly different other religious beliefs, nor is it likely to be something that liberals like in the context of gender equality, since polygamy is almost always polygyny (rather than polyandry or polygynandry) that carries the implication of powerful men and dependent women (who, in some contexts, may not be able to give consent or non-consent to adding an additional wife to the polygynous marriage).</p>
<p>Overturning DOMA means a lot to military gay and lesbian married couples.</p>
<p>Statement by Secretary Hagel on DOMA Ruling:</p>
<pre><code> The Department of Defense welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision today on the Defense of Marriage Act. The department will immediately begin the process of implementing the Supreme Court’s decision in consultation with the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies. The Department of Defense intends to make the same benefits available to all military spouses – regardless of sexual orientation – as soon as possible. That is now the law and it is the right thing to do.
Every person who serves our nation in uniform stepped forward with courage and commitment. All that matters is their patriotism, their willingness to serve their country, and their qualifications to do so. Today's ruling helps ensure that all men and women who serve this country can be treated fairly and equally, with the full dignity and respect they so richly deserve. [Defense.gov News Release: Statement by Secretary Hagel on DOMA Ruling](http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=16119)
</code></pre>
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<p>What I am wondering is if it is possible that a child born today might be able to grow up without hearing anti-gay rhetoric on tv or reading it on the grocery store tabloid racks. Is it possible that our gay grandchildren may be able to grow up in environments not psychologically damaging? The very idea just makes my heart sing.</p>
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No, this won’t be possible for the majority of current adults’ grandchildren. </p>
<p>There will always be an opposing force.</p>
<p>I think our grandchildren’s world will be very different. Opinions about gay people are changing incredibly rapidly and young people are very accepting.</p>
<p>I know numerous politically conservative young people who can’t understand why anyone would want to prevent gay people from getting married.</p>
<p>Now, this is Maine, though. In other places, young conservatives may not feel the same.</p>
<p>“you live in Connecticut? I guess that explains it.”</p>
<p>I’d have to agree. Where else in America do the local electric producers sell their product OOS for LESS than they sell it locally? Our family does have NJ roots though. My Dad’s family lived a short distance from those twin-metropolis’ Bivalve and Shellpile.</p>