Rick Perry, the governor of Texas who said Texas should secede from the Union if the federal government does not slow down, and a potential Republican nominee for President of the United States, said that gay marriage was a states issue. He said he had no problem with New York passing it, but he would personally oppose it in his state. This sounds like gay marriage has become the new racism hidden in states' right talk.
During segregation, this was the position of many racists, saying it was a state issue and the federal government should not force de-segregation on the states. I'm not exactly sure where along the line people decided that it would be a good idea to make a civil right, i.e. marriage, a state's right issue. It is about the dignity of the persons involved. It is not about a particular agenda. Conservatives are simply on the wrong side of history, like they have been so many times in the past. The state's right rhetoric cannot hide the bigotry that stands behind their words. I find it ironic how Republicans try to bash Democrats for being weak, yet Republicans are the ones who completely lack the moral courage to stand up to their bigoted base and tell them that being gay is not a choice and gay marriage is a civil rights issue they will support.
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