Think of Poor Oklahoma

34 States today. One more coming tomorrow

With today’s decision starting marriage equality in Montana (and bringing the total to 34 states), there’s now a nice solid block of the western states, a good chunk running from New England down to the upper South, and a group of Midwestern states. But this leaves Oklahoma there in the midst of states that don’t marriage equality, joined to a state that does, only by the Panhandle. Had the Republic of Texas not ceded the area, poor Oklahoma wouldn’t be adjoining any marriage equality state, saved only by a narrow connection to New Mexico.

There are parts of the country that continue to surprise me. The Sixth Circuit decision certainly caught me by surprise, though it might be the case that sends marriage equality to the Supreme Court. I would have thought the Fifth Circuit would be more likely, though we are still waiting for the appeals on that one.
And the map will be updated. Tomorrow, November 20, South Carolina is scheduled to join the states with marriage equality, bringing the total up to 35. That’s right. Fifteen states left.

By the time the case actually reaches the Supreme Court, that number will probably drop lower, and that’s probably part of the Supreme Court’s intention. Justice Ginsberg has said that the Court rushed on Roe v. Wade. No one ever says that about Loving, where only few states still forbade interracial marriage (though in The Motion of Light in Water, Samuel R. Delany recounts how difficult it was for him and Marilyn Hacker, as an interracial couple, to find an apartment in New York City).[1] By the time of Lawrence v. Texas, only four states had laws against just same-sex sodomy.[2]

So, it’s going to be a mop-up. A few more states will start allowing same-sex couples to marry. The Republic will not fall. Fire and brimstone will not descend from the skies. The Flying Spaghetti Monster will not be smiting us with his noodly appendage.

But wouldn’t it be nice if the states of Kansas, Texas, or Arkansas starting offering marriage equality to their citizens. Not because it’s the right and moral thing to do (though it is), just so Oklahoma isn’t all on its own there. Well, Kansas is nudging its way there. A few counties are permitting same-sex marriage. I’ve seen the situation described as “in flux,” but we know where it’s going. And its heading in the right direction.

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Image at the top is:
“Samesex marriage in USA” by Lokal_Profil - Vector map from Blank US Map, striped.svg by Lokal_Profil.Information and colours from Samesex marriage in USA.svg (this version) by StephenMacmanus/مري ذ بكلي.Combined by Lokal_Profil. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samesex_marriage_in_USA.svg#mediaviewer/File:Samesex_marriage_in_USA.svg, accessed on November 19, 2014.

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1. So there’s legal, and then there’s accepted. Delany was already out as gay he married. Hacker later came out herself.  ↩
2. This was the handle for overturning Bowers v. Hardwick. Georgia had a law against any oral or anal sex, not matter whether it was straight or gay. By the time of Lawrence, Texas had made it legal for opposite-sex couples to consent to oral or anal sex.  ↩