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06/28/2015
Yes, the American marriage equality fight is over—the rest is just bluster
I can't tell you how many times I've opened a window prepared to start a new blog post about this or that or the other ant-LGBT activist who said something ridiculous about Friday's historic SCOTUS ruling. Sometimes it's from a politician who vows to overturn what the court has done. Sometimes it's a professional (read: for pay) activist who insists that the fight will go on. Sometimes it's a media personality who ups the "shock jock" factor in order to keep the base nourished on the fattiest of red meats.
But every time, I've ultimately closed the window and returned to my weekend. Yes, one reason is because I'm both busy with and tired from family life these days, and therefore must reserve my strength for other things. But mostly, I really am having trouble even dignifying the silly defiance from a team that has lost this fight.
It's over. They lost it. The fight over civil marriage rights for same-sex couples is over forever. We won. They lost. It's over.
Earlier this year, I vowed to stop paying attention to the fringe activists who have no political connectivity and whose words no longer have any power to effect us on any level. But now, when it comes to the marriage fight specifically, I find myself extending that blind eye and closed ear to even those who are connected enough to run for President of the United States. Sure, they might have a platform and be worth paying attention to in general. However, on this cause, their words are hollow. Their defiance is meaningless. Their vow to keep talking about this is opportunistic for the purposes of fundraising and crude support. There is literally nothing they can say or do that is ever going to stop marriage equality. While some are fighting it locally right now, that is short-lived. By the end of the summer, every single American city will be in basic compliance with the Supreme Court's ruling, or they will suffer the blowback. Because we won. They lost. It's over.
I have no delusions that the Mike Huckabees or the Tony Perkins or the [insert name of person who will appear underscored by ominous music in future documentaries about this civil rights fight] will stop talking about our marriages or vowing to find that secret "off" switch that is embedded somewhere within the Supreme Court's decision. Mad people say things about things they are mad about; losing people act like sore losers long after the game is over. This happens. But the only reason I see to care beyond simple mockery is the fact that their continued talking will be a political albatross that will weigh down candidates who continues to embrace it. When it comes to the 2016 election, there might be reason to highlight the belaboring of this nonsense. And of course when any of this defiance manifests into some sort of national incident (I live in fear that the defiance could turn tragic in some places, in some cases), then we must note it. There will certainly be reasons to discuss the other side's outrage, just as there is still reason to discuss other pro-discrimination movements' continued flare-ups.
For the most part, however? Marriage inequality activists no longer have the floor. Once this white hot current of news leaves the cycle, I suspect even outlets like Fox News will have a hard time finding reason to give a mic to those who simply don't like the outcome. Because they lost. We won. This fight is over.
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