How Will the California Supreme Court Rule on Gay Marriage Tomorrow?

So it all comes down to this.

A few hours ago, we saw the news that the California Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage would come down tomorrow at ten o'clock.

And now we're all raw nerves and conflicted emotions.

We watched the hearing a couple months ago, and were pleasantly surprised that most of the justices (with one or two notable exceptions) were open minded about the issue.

We shuddered when we learned that 1.2 million of our fellow Californians, folks we pass on the street every day, who we talk to in the supermarket, and who live on our streets and in our neighborhoods signed the petition to block Mark and I from ever getting married in the Golden State.

And we listened eagerly to the rumor of a positive court ruling a couple weeks ago.

But today, as I write this, we're just over 12 hours from the resolution to a battle that started over four years ago on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall, where eight thousand souls pledged their love to one another when the City threw open its doors and welcomed us into the institution of marriage.

How revolutionary the moment was, the idea that the folks in our government finally saw us, finally recognized us and the commitment we had for one another.

How earthshaking and fundamentally game changing the brave stance of the city and Mayor Newsom was in the face of the constant attacks against us by the right wing.

And how unexpectedly emotional it was when we, Mark and I, stood at the top of the grand staircase at city hall and spoke our vows to one another in front of two strangers, wonderful volunteers who came willingly to witness and officiate for us.

Months later, our license would be invalidated, by the same court that now holds our fates in their hands.  But the court couldn't invalidate what had happened, or what it meant to us and thousands of other same sex couples.

So as this saga draws to an end, I can't help but feel a little trepidation.  What if, after all of this, after the weddings, and letters, and donations, and personal testimony, and the support of all our friends and family and allies, what if tomorrow dawns and it isn't enough?

I am cautiously optimistic of a positive outcome, that the court will stand up for us tomorrow and tell the world what's right, what we deserve as both human beings and as citizens of this great democratic society.

I watched the last two episodes of the great show Brothers and Sisters, and was moved to tears by the honesty of the portrayal of Kevin and Scotty and how Kevin proposed.  And how the show once again made the point that there's no substitute for marriage.  Civil unions are good, as far as they go, but they're just pale imitations of the real thing.

So I'm holding my breath, though I may get blue in the face, and I'm hoarding my hopes and holding my fear at bay.  Maybe, at this time tomorrow, the world will have become a little bit better place.  Maybe soon we'll be able to say that we're more than domestically partnered.  That we're not just civilly committed.

That we're married.

Tomorrow morning can't come too soon.

--Scott

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