Gay marriage is one of the most debated topics in politics today. The debate surrounds the basic question of: should gay marriage be legal in America? There have been major changes in the law surrounding gay marriage in the last 20 or so years. In light of this, which direction is the fight for gay marriage headed? Will there eventually be gay marriage throughout America?

The fight started in 1993, when three same-sex couples argued successfully to the Hawaii Supreme Court that prohibition of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. That puts denying same-sex marriage in the same boat as racism and sexism! 

Since then, the Supreme Court has made landmark rulings in the fight for gay marriage. Supreme Court Rulings are important because the rulings of the courts dictate what does and does not fly when it comes to prohibiting gay marriage. Here are some important Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage:

1)	In Baehr v. Miike in 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the right to marry unless there is a compelling state reason to do so.

2)	 In Baker v. Vermont, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights, protections, and benefits that married heterosexual couples have, even if their union isn’t called “marriage”.

3)	In Lawrence v. Texas, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that sexual acts performed in a relationship are protected by the right to privacy, and laws which try to control sexual acts between same sex couples are unconstitutional. Justice Antonin Scalia said in his official opinion that the decision leaves state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples on shaky grounds.

What this meant was that whether or not gay-marriage was legalized had boiled down to a matter of opinion. If the majority of people in a state were of the opinion that same-sex marriage is wrong, then same-sex marriage could be outlawed via a ballot vote to amend state law. 

Well, the 1993 ruling in Hawaii over 30 states to do exactly that over the next 20 years, and incorporate constitutional bans on gay marriage. But in that time, public support for same-sex marriage has grown considerably. 

From 1988 to 2010, public support for gay marriage increased at a rate of 1 - 1.5 points a year, while public opposition simultaneously decreased. 

In 1996, just 25% of Americans supported legalization of same sex marriage. As of 2010, polls conducted showed for the first time that more than 50% of Americans support gay-marriage.

What’s more is that the exact same constitutional bans on same sex marriage which 29 states still have enacted have been ruled completely unconstitutional in Hollingsworth v. Perry, on June 26 of this year. 

What I think all of this means for the future of the fight for gay marriage is that soon gay marriage will truly be available to all LGBT individuals of the United States. The public opinion of America has shifted towards equality, and even more significantly, this shift has been reflected in federal law. So far 16 states have legalized gay marriage, with 4 states having done so in the past year alone. It’s only a matter of time now; before we know it the fight for gay marriage will have been won.

Logan Justice