"Gay Marriage, Let the Apologies Begin"

Here's an essay from the Huffington Post that is already looking forward to the day when same-sex marriage is legal all over the country and the apologies for the delay that will follow from legislators.  Here's an excerpt:

It was a real bummer that even the Empire State couldn't get an equal marriage law on the books recently. It fills me with no shortage of pride that I live in the first state to grant equal and full marriage to gays and lesbians, and it is baffling to see how out of touch the rest of the country is with the great state of Massachusetts. Hey, we start a lot of good things -- like America, for instance. Although it's sad to see these continued defeats, I am not despairing. On the contrary, I often wonder when the apologies will start. There is no question in my mind that Gay marriage will be legal in all 50 states in my lifetime. I can already see clearly the apologies that I will be watching on-line, hopefully in 10 years but certainly within 20. I can almost hear it now, "as the speaker of the house for the legislature for the state of X, we here by proclaim by official proclamation put forth by a majority vote an apology for the terrible, shameful, discriminatory and un-American anti-gay marriage laws this body supported and upheld in 2009..... blah, blah, blah".



What short memories people have -- modern history is a good guide, for instance anti-miscegenation laws, Communist witch hunts, women's suffrage, anti-sodomy laws, not allowing Native Americans to enter the City of Providence, etc., all sorts of discriminatory rules and laws that we consider absurd now have been repealed and along with them comes no small amount of groveling and apologizing to the people they discriminated against. Once again bigots will have the next generation falling all over themselves to apologize for their prejudices and superstitious beliefs. The current batch of aging hopped-up homophobic haters and doomsayers are lucky they have us to do their dirty work for them in the future.


This is an open call to all the politicians today voting to violate the constitution, who through claims of divine guidance support laws that strip people of their rights: apologize now so the next generations won't have to do it for you! It is not too late to save your reputation and your respect in the eyes of your grandchildren. Everyone wants to lay claim to a relative that was pro-civil rights, but relatives who were segregationists....not very cool. They just don't produce the same amount of familial pride or positive excitement.
 
Click here to read the rest of the essay.