Thoughts on New York State and Same-Sex Marriage

By now, you've heard about last week's defeat of a bill in the New York State Senate seeking to legalize same-sex marriage. This, coupled with the Election Day defeat of same-sex marriage in Maine, certainly seems like a setback for same-sex marriage rights advocates after a string of victories over the past year. A prominent national reporter covering the LGBT community recently contacted Atticus Circle founder Anne Wynne, wondering if the same-sex marriage defeat in Maine and the same-sex domestic partnership victory in Washington State might prompt a change in strategies for LGBT rights advocates.

Certainly, especially given the strides that marriage equality advocates have made in the past year, it seems premature to abandon the dream of marriage equality in all 50 states, despite the possibility that the concept of domestic partnerships might be more palatable to those believing marriage is exclusively the domain of one man and one woman.

This Huffington Post article makes some interesting arguments about the New York State Senate vote and how the current marriage equality debate corresponds to earlier debates around inter-racial marriage, asking the fundamental question about whether basic human rights should have to come up with a vote -- or whether they should just be granted because it's consistent with fundamental values, starting with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.