Another day, another marriage equality decision.
A week or two ago I was out with some other white hat lobbyists at an event we call Beer Friday, where we decompress and share stories about our experiences under the Dome, fighting for people nobody much wants to fight for. Someone commented that they couldn't really think of anything good happening on the national political scene these days, and the first thing I could think of was how fast marriage equality and the recognition of rights for all people have advanced.
This week's decision in the Pennsylvania marriage case, even though it's already the third such decision this week, is an inspiring example. This is a decision by a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush and strongly supported by Rick Santorum, and yet, like a growing number of Republicans across the country this judge understands what's at stake and what these cases mean.
Just think about how he phrased it. It sticks with you:
Oh yes, and the other good news: the Republican governor of Pennsylvania, who defended this case when the Democratic attorney general wouldn't, has announced that the state will not appeal the decision.
… it wasn’t that long ago, that a lot of GLBT activists were firmly opposed to a campaign for marriage equality. They were convinced it’d be counterproductive and doomed to failure. How times have changed.
you’re right that the national good news items are few and far between.
It’s a minor miracle that marriage equality seems to be headed into the main stream of acceptance at a time when the Right is working hard to roll back every social advance that has been achieved in the last century.