After the awards, we thoroughly discussed the results and reached the conclusion that all awards, from the Nobel Prize to “Employee of Month”, are subjective and have limited value. The work of thousands of scientists who labor in obscurity should not understood as less valuable than those recognised by a Swedish committee. “You don't say much but you get your point across.”
At the time of the March, 2006 Oscars, only one state, Massachusetts, offered same sex marriage, and attitudes toward same sex relationships in the fictional Wyoming of 1963 seemed eerily similar to the country's current attitude and behavior. With only one state on board the same sex marriage train, this was a “one shot thing” and it seemed that same sex marriage would only be available in the most liberal coastal states. It was not surprising that California and Connecticut passed same sex marriage legislation in 2008. At the beginning of 2010, six states and the District of Columbia had joined. ”...this is … an unsatisfactory situation.”
The time of the Supreme Court decision of 2013 that allowed same sex marriage in California, four additional states offered same sex marriage. The court ruled that one of the parties did not have standing, thereby allowing the lower court ruling to stand. During the remainder of 2013, six more states recognized same sex marriage in their jurisdiction. “You know I ain’t queer.”
On October 6, 2014, once again the Supreme Court acted by not acting and an additional five state’s laws were invalidated. By the end of that year, nine more states joined the list of states that recognized same sex marriage. Therefore, after a period of only ten years since the first state to allow same sex marriage, 36 states recognized same sex at the end of 2014, including Wyoming. “Ya know it could be like this, just like this always.”
We have strong indications of how the Supreme Court will rule, that is, act. However, we will speculate how these events could have been postponed, perhaps indefinitely, had certain overzealous people reasoned instead of reacting to events in other states. As a matter of law Ohio does not allow either minor marriages or cousin marriages. But marriages contracted in another state by either minors or cousins or cousins who are minors are recognized should they move to Ohio. Marriage is not dissolved by a change of location. “Fast or slow, I like the direction you’re going.”
The legal issue is that legislatures would not recognize a valid contract from another state. We do not need to have driver's licenses issued from each state we visit, nor do couples need to remarry in order for another state to recognize their marriage. Due to this hatred or animus of the legislatures, their laws were consistently found to be illegal (over 30 consecutive rulings from various courts) until the ruling of the Sixth Circuit Court that sided with the states. The legal lesson is that the law must apply to all, one group can not be singled out with a valid reason. Felons cannot possess firearms is deemed reasonable, while it seems that denying same sex marriage is understood as unreasonable. Since we, as Americans, are ruled by the law and not the majority or their opinions, I can only offer this timely wisdom to the elected officials who voted for such laws and who are now reaping what they sowed: “If you can’t fix it, you gotta stand it.”