As a strong supporter of equal marriage rights, I was surprised by the overwhelming majority of states that have approved same-sex marriage via court decisions. Out of the 37 states where same-sex marriage is permitted, only a third were made legal by legislation and popular vote. For me, the only way to truly demonstrate our support is to have law explicitly permitting equal marriage rights, voted on by our political representatives. Court decisions making the right rulings are great but it doesn't beat language that has been supported and voted on by our democratic leaders.

Until there is really a critical mass of support, I don't think elected politicians in states where support is divided will want to stir up controversy by vocally addressing or vigorously supporting the issue. It's a safer policy to wait for these very same court decisions to make the laws for them.

Peter:

It probably is the safer thing to do. However, I'd always vote for the trailblazer who takes the hard stance over the ones who don't. To me, those are the types of people that deserve our votes.