In a landmark decision, the California State Supreme Court ruled that California's ban on same-sex marriage - in place for 31 years - is unconstitutional. The narrow 4-3 victory is cause for celebration in cities across the state.

However, a dark cloud looms. The history of the LGBT movement in the US shows that no great victory goes unchallenged. Already, opponents of marriage equality have submitted 1.1 million signatures to the Secretary of State in an attempt to place a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages on the November ballot. Of the 1.1 million signatures submitted, 694,538 must be verified to qualify for the election.

Gay marriage has often been used as a get-out-the-vote device for conservatives; regardless of if a given gay marriage proposition passes or fails, the thinking is that it will drive social conservatives to the polling booth and, at the very least, assist conservative candidates in trouncing more liberal ones. Not being an expert in such matters myself, I do have to wonder if the dynamics of this year's election will be markedly different from years past. There is an incredible level of interest in this year's presidential election, particularly from the left, and this alone may help counteract any conservative voting drive propelled by the specter of homemaking homosexuals.

Beyond that, I'm not sure that queers are quite so frightening to the right, or at least the California right, as we were even four years ago. Granted, I'm writing from a perch within a stone's throw of the San Francisco Bay, and in the middle of life as a semi-cloistered Berkeley grad student, but I think there are other bogeymen in 2008.

For example, Republicans. In all seriousness, George W. Bush has seemingly unwittingly (half-wittedly?) done real damage to the GOP's brand, and there are no signs of him becoming self-aware any time soon. Without further assigning blame or parceling out responsibility for evildoing to distinct parties, the country as a whole is in something of a sticky wicket these days. We can't seem to agree on much of anything in terms of how to execute the "Global War on Terror," how to regulate the financial industry, what to do about global warming, how to conduct foreign policy, or how to prosper in an increasingly global economy, never mind the answer to truly dire matters such as who should be America's Next Top Model. With "real" problems and uncomfortable economic insecurities facing voters, whether Michael marries Billy or Jean may be less pressing a concern.

Details from the Chronicle are available here.