This all happened so fast. Until a few hours ago, I didn’t even expect the state senate to vote on marriage equality this session. And then I glanced at the NYTimes.com late this morning and saw the surprising news that they’d be voting today. All the marriage equality proponents have been arguing that no matter how the senate voted, it would be progress if they at least held a vote.
And that’s true. Holding a vote and losing is better than not holding a vote at all. (I think.) Now every senator is on record with a position on marriage rights, so we know whom to target next time. The senate has broken the taboo against voting on it. Progress comes in slow steps — sometimes agonizingly slow steps.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
I suppose it’s also some consolation that the worst we have to be disappointed about is the denial of an optional positive benefit that not everyone would choose if offered, but we still should have the choice.