This week, gathered around our seder tables, we spoke not only about the tyranny of Pharoah, but also about the tyranny of poverty, the tyranny of ignorance and the tyranny of fill-in-the-blank.
And since one definition of tyranny is “an oppressive, harsh or unjust act,” it was timely that California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act were both before the United States Supreme Court this week.
Passed in November 2008, Prop. 8 bans same-sex marriage in California, while the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, denies spousal benefits to same-sex couples.
This newspaper is long on record in support of legal same-sex marriage. We opposed Prop. 8 in 2008, we oppose it now and we hope the court overturns it — even though the justices seem poised to dismiss the case.
If they decide that this is not the right time for a decision on such a fast-moving social issue, we do hope the court strikes down part of the DOMA, an ill-conceived and fundamentally unfair law that seems like a holdover from the Mesozoic Era.
How is the defense of gay rights a Jewish issue? Having historically been victims of capricious edicts that stripped their liberties, few peoples are more sensitive to civil rights than Jews. And no group has been more outspoken in defense of those rights.
Moreover, polls indicate that Jews overwhelmingly support the right of same-sex couples to marry. All Jewish denominations other than Orthodox now permit same-sex weddings or commitment ceremonies.
A new Washington Post poll shows 58 percent of Americans favor legal same-sex marriage. The poll’s cross-tabs reveal Democrats support that right by more than 70 percent. Given that a majority of Jews affiliate with the Democratic Party, it’s easy to extrapolate how most Jews come down on the issue.
As much as we want marriage equality for all, we understand why the court may avoid a 50-state edict. The state-by-state strategy has been working, with nine states so far granting marriage equality and more to come.
It may be better in the long run to have same-sex marriage sanctioned through popular vote and state legislatures rather than ordered from on high. It’s hard to argue with majority votes; it’s easy to point fingers at unelected judges.
Whatever stance the justices take, the tide of history is unmistakably rising in favor of marriage equality. The poll mentioned above also showed young Americans approving of same-sex marriage by more than 80 percent. There’s no stopping it.