The issue of same-sex marriages has been very prevalent lately, both in Colorado and across the entire country. Judges have been overturning state laws that prohibit same-sex marriage, saying that they are in violation of the Constitution. This happened around a month ago in Colorado.
However, these rulings do not always go through immediately. The judge who made the Colorado ruling also decided to put a stay on it, meaning that there is not yet any real impact. He did this so that the ruling could be appealed, as he knew it would. This has become common practice in other states as well, with Florida recently doing the same thing.
It does appear that the appeal is likely to result in support for the judge and for same-sex couples, though, if past rulings are any indication. The 10th Circuit Court, which will address the ruling, also had to deal with similar cases for both Oklahoma and Utah, and that was the result that they got.
In fact, even those who oppose same-sex marriage are starting to say that they know that the laws banning it will be taken off of the books.
One thing that is quite interesting about all this is that the shift from being opposed to same-sex marriage to being for it, in America as a whole, has come on rapidly. Back in 1996, when the Defense of Marriage Act was set up, and polls indicated that support for gay marriage was at 27 percent. Today, not yet two decades later, support is at 55 percent.
As these rulings make their way through the appeals process, same-sex partners in Colorado should keep an eye on the outcomes to see how their rights may be changing.
Source: Liberty Voice, “Same-Sex Marriage Legality in Question” Stacey Wagner, Aug. 06, 2014
