A gay marriage ruling by the Supreme Court overturning DOMA and Prop 8 will do little to deter the opposition of anti same sex marriage activists, a group of these activists vowed in advance of the ruling. But what will their opposition to marriage equality actually look like?
The Supreme Court made landmark rulings furthering gay rights, but the lack of a mandate to states ensures the fight over same sex marriage will only heat up in regional ballot campaigns, legislative battles and courts.
Oregon and Ohio are among the states where voters could decide whether to extend marriage rights to gay couples in 2014, according to activists on both sides. State lawmakers in Nevada and Illinois are also mulling such unions. Meanwhile Indiana lawmakers may place a constitutional gay marriage ban on the 2014 ballot.
The Supreme Court decided two cases on Wednesday. In one, the court struck down part of the national Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. That will extend over 1,000 federal benefits to married gay couples.
In the second case, over California’s Proposition 8 marriage ban, the justices had the opportunity to issue broad national guidance on the constitutional rights of gay couples to marry. However, the high court decided the case on procedural grounds which may allow gay marriage in California but leaves other states to decide for themselves.
