Oregon ruled in favor of marriage equality this week. Image: Freedom to Marry |
While the pro-marriage
equality ruling in Oregon has not faced any legal appeals or stays, it has been
challenged by various anti-gay groups such as the National Organization for
Marriage (NOM). According to Mapes, “The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals on Monday turned down NOM’s request for an emergency stay to prevent
McShane from issuing his ruling. However, the group now has an Aug. 25 deadline
to submit a brief arguing why it should still be allowed to intervene in the
case.”
Despite the fervent attempts
made by conservative politicians and anti-gay groups such as NOM, many legal
experts believe that the road to universal marriage equality is inevitable. Gwynne
Skinner, a professor of law at Willamette University says “I think the train
has left the station,” of the major momentum the gay rights movement is
experiencing right now. “I just can’t see a huge step back,” she says. David
Fidanque, the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
chapter in Oregon agrees, musing, “It feels to me like we have reached a
tipping point in this nation.” He also asserts how “We’re at most two years
away from a resolution of this issue nationally,” an optimistic outlook on an
issue still greatly fraught with controversy due to conservative backlash.
Despite threats from NOM in
Oregon, many are equally optimistic that the freedom to marry in that state is
here to stay. And with nearly 70 marriage equality cases working their way
through the court systems right now, it
does seem inevitable that there will be more states legalizing same-sex
marriage in the near future.
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