Readers: Missouri Should Wait Until Courts Force Same-Sex Marriage
In unusually high voting, it seems readers don’t want Missouri to recognize same-sex marriages until forced to do so by the courts, likely the United States Supreme Court. Here’s the results from last week’s poll:
Q: Should Missouri allow same-sex couples to marry before being required by the courts?
- No 130 [51.79%]
- Yes 102 [40.64%]
- Unsure/no opinion 19 [7.57%]
These polls, of course, aren’t scientific.
Even without recognition by Missouri, my boyfriend and I are registered Domestic Partners with the City of Saint Louis. We’ll be married across the river in Illinois in June. In 2015 we’ll file our federal and state taxes as a married couple.
In the meantime more Missouri same-sex couples will continue getting married out of state — especially border states like Iowa & Illinois. Missouri could draw couples from redder states like Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Doing so would help our state economy.
Once the SCOTUS makes same-sex marriage recognized in all 50 states, the short-term geographic advantage will be lost. Sadly, Missouri will probably be among the final holdouts — like Mississippi and Alabama.
— Steve Patterson
I’ll repeat what I said last week – Missouri SHOULD, but given our current bible-thumping legislature, the only way I see it happening is, unfortunately, through the courts . . . .
Missouri seems to play things pretty close to the pulpit….morality be damned, so I can’t see it changing anytime soon.
Actually an analysis done by Nate Silver, estimates that Missouri will approve of same-sex marriage about 2/3rds of the way through the states:
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/how-opinion-on-same-sex-marriage-is-changing-and-what-it-means/
It will have to be through the courts, though we wish otherwise. I mean really, does common sense really need to be regulated through the court system? Just that question should lead us to answer no, but looking at our history, we sadly know otherwise. At least through the courts then we can say to those that wish to deny protections to happiness and love…..frack off, the courts have said yes!
On another note, Steve are you having program issues again? Comments cannot be liked/disliked, recent comments on the right do not show all, etc. Just curious.
Happy Thanksgiving Eve all.
I’ll repeat – Missouri SHOULD, but given our bible-thumping legislature, it’s gonna take court action before gay marriage (as in actually getting a licence to get married) becomes legal here.
I’ve seen a more scientific poll (Gallup?) that’s asked Missourians about gay marriage at different times over the last 13 years or so, and it seems most Missourians are in favor of gay civil unions OR gay marriage, but the breakdown is something like 30% gay marriage, 30% civil unions, 20% opposed, 10% undecided. The pro-civil union and pro-gay marriage groups though both still in the minority have definitely increased in number over the years. I would have answered YES to this poll but somehow I missed it last week.
Yes, in every state support has been building. We, and many other states, passed the ban in reaction to the court ruling in Massachusetts. In the 9+ years since many people have come to realize the world wouldn’t end as a result. The legislature, in the other hand, is controlled by right-wing ideologues.