Seen from abroad, the United States in 2015 must a present curious spectacle. Its vaunted democratic political system is paralyzed—so dysfunctional that, earlier this year, a Justice of the Supreme Court drew open laughter when he suggested that Congress might act to fix a defective statute.
On the other hand, the country’s legal and social system has just gone through a stunning peaceful revolution. Fifty years ago, gay men and lesbians were an invisible minority; homosexuality was a mental illness; gay sex was a criminal offense. Thirty years ago, the Supreme Court held that any claim for homosexual rights was, in the words of Justice Byron White, “at best, facetious.” Twenty years ago, Republican and Democratic lawmakers passed (and President Bill Clinton signed) the Defense of Marriage Act barring federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Ten years ago, opposition to gay marriage powered George W. Bush’s narrow re-election victory.
Yet as of July 1, 2015, marriage between two adults of the same sex is the law. A few state officials are still resisting, but gay couples are marrying in all 50 states.