Set Phasers to Cautiously Optimistic

I think my favorite image so far from this week's marriage bonanza in California is of George Takei (aka Mr. Sulu of Star Trek fame and, more recently, the father of Hiro Nakamura on Heroes) and his intended, Brad Altman. Shucks, that's sweet. The happy couple turned up today in a story in the NYT about the party-planning aspects of the newly-legalized same-sex nuptials. (In case you were wondering, Chekov and Uhura will be the best man and matron of honor, and they will walk down the aisle to "One" from "A Chorus Line.")

While part of me (the realistic part?) is wary of the ballot initiative that could pull the rug out from under the more than 2,700 couples who applied for marriage licenses in the first two days of legal same-sex unions, I remain cautiously optimistic that the state Supreme Court's ruling will stand. I was living in the Bay area when Gavin Newsom began marrying gay couples in 2004. It was such an amazing and exciting thing to witness...until the courts weighed in an annulled nearly 4,000 marriages.

Of course, that setback, while crushing, was closely followed by the Massachusetts decision. My sweetie and I tied the knot in MA soon after to support that state's commitment to marriage equality. We figured, if Massachusetts was where some of our friends would have to go to get hitched, we'd do the same. After all, just over forty years ago we would have been in the same boat, since interracial marriage was illegal in many parts of the country, with some of those laws remaining on the books until 1998 and 2000.

It's been four years since the Massachusetts decision and "traditional" marriage seems to be at least as intact as it ever was. And even though public opinion is divided, I take comfort in the knowledge that at the time the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Loving v. Virginia, polls consistently showed that a substantial majority of Americans were opposed to interracial marriage. In other words, marriage equality won't necessarily have to wait until public opinion turns strongly in favor of gay marriage.

So, for better or for worse (ugh, sorry--that even made me groan), I am holding out hope for California...and beyond.