[zcid]

Same-sex marriage never achieved enough support to be legalized [0][1]. It was voted against throughout the country including liberal states such as California. Same-sex marriage was legislated by a small number of judges.

I'm not making an argument for or against so please don't debate me on the merits of this issue. I am merely pointing out that the people did not decide this issue. A very small number of elites did.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_legislation_... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_constitutio...

[dang]

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20434037.

[zcid]

Can I ask why this comment was detached?

I feel it was relevant to the point the OP was making concerning legislation vs popularity among the citizenry.

[glennpratt]

You are wading into the complex web of how democracy works in the US. Denigrating the "elite" Supreme Court and ignoring all the other elites and distortions involved in any state legislation seems disingenuous.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_opinion_of_same-sex_m...

[casefields]

Opinion polling is fickle. How about actual voting on the issue such as super liberal California saying no to same sex marriage: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_California_Proposition_...

[greglindahl]

Same-sex marriage rights were obtained in several states via a vote in the legislature. And Americans overwhelmingly support the US Constitution and court system. So "the people" were involved in both of those paths.

[crankylinuxuser]

In some states, sure. But where I live in Indiana, the strongly Republican state hates gay people (government and much of the citizenry). Remember that one of the cases in northern Indiana was the 'Gay Cake lawsuit'.

Our state only allowed gay marriage because SCOTUS ajudicated it so.

Also, the decision also affected me directly because women could legally change their name in marriage for free. But men doing so (I am one of them) had to pay a bunch and go in front of a judge and ask permission. The Gay Marriage decision removed this form of sexual discrimination as well.

[CamperBob2]

It was voted against throughout the country including liberal states such as California.

The relevant vote took place in 1868, when the states ratified the 14th Amendment.

A very small number of elites did.

And by "elites" you mean "Tax-exempt churches doing everything they possibly could to subvert, deny, and if possible eliminate peoples' existing rights." [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_California_Proposition_8

[fzeroracer]

Can you explain to me the intent of your argument? Never mind that there were many states that voted in favor of same-sex marriage, it seems rather disingenuous to claim that it was simply a 'small number of elites' as well as claiming your argument is somehow not debatable.

[adamsea]

A) By what process were those “small number of judges” appointed? By what process were the appointers appointed?

B) Define “support”.