US Divided over Same-Sex Unions: Republicans 'Will Fight'

Many wish to amend the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act. The new law incurred the wrath of religious authorities, who believe democracy is in danger. The problem is that many states still don’t legally recognize same-sex unions.

“The battle continues,” shouted the last speaker from the stage set up for the celebrations on Christopher Street. The long speeches in celebration of the two rulings issued by the Supreme Court, which recognized same-sex unions and equal rights, ended and the party began. The morning after, however, once the intense happiness and drunken celebrations were over, the sun was no longer shining as it had been on Wednesday. The victory remained, but the first doubts were surfacing; the battle must go on. As Susan Sommer, spokesperson and senior counsel for Lambda Legal, told The New York Times, “Living in this kind of patchwork country is becoming less and less tenable. If we’re going to have federal benefits and recognition, it certainly makes a state’s withholding of the freedom to marry come with that much greater a cost — an impairment of liberty.”

The heart of the problem is that the Supreme Court’s decision cannot undermine the autonomy of individual states. The 37 states that still do not recognize same-sex unions can legally continue to do so. So remains “the Amtrak paradox,” a term coined by gay rights activists in reference to the national rail service: If you get off at one station, your marriage, and all rights accorded by it, is recognized; but it may not be recognized at the next station.

This was Obama’s point of reference when he commented on the ruling. “It’s my personal belief, but I’m speaking now as a president not as a lawyer, that if you marry someone in Massachusetts and you move somewhere else, you’re still married,” he declared at a conference shortly after arriving in Senegal. He used Senegal’s homophobic laws to his advantage, saying “Tuesday’s ruling was a landmark decision for the gay community and for democracy in America. I believe that governments should not discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation and that everyone should be treated equally before the law.”*

Now the struggle will stir things up in Congress in the coming months. On one hand, the Democrats will try to force through laws that will broaden the principles ratified by the Supreme Court. On the other hand, the Republicans are preparing to fight back. However, there is another problem: internal strife. The conservative front is anything but united, as Judge Kennedy’s deciding vote showed. The Washington Post’s political analysis blog speculated as to what will happen to same-sex unions after the next presidential elections. The newspaper wrote that the Democrats will not be indecisive: All those who wish to win the primary elections will have to declare themselves in favor of same-sex unions. However, the decision for the Republicans is a real dilemma. There are many people who vote for the Republican Party, above all young people and women, who are in favor of same-sex unions. At the same time, there are pockets of strong resistance, especially in the Midwest. The most radical wing of the party is not indecisive and has already announced that it will present a bill to change the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Indeed, Chris Christie, New Jersey’s governor, whom many consider a probable candidate for the next Republican presidential nomination, is trying to woo conservative hardliners: “It’s another example of judicial supremacy rather than having the government run by the people we actually vote for. I thought it was a bad decision.” The church is also criticizing the judges. Salvatore Cordileone, San Francisco’s archbishop, used harsh words, saying he was “very disappointed and very worried about the future of our country and the future of our children.”

In the Village, where preparations were underway for long weekend celebrations culminating in the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, nobody was worried. Young men and women with sleepy eyes met up in the street and greeted one another with the new slogan, “Hi, Doma/Coma,” a play on words to honor homosexuals’ new rights. The battle to be fought and the road yet to be taken can wait. Now it’s time to discover what this new and unprecedented freedom tastes like.

*Editor’s Note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be verified.