November 8, 2012 | Sex & Society

Gay day in the USA

Tuesday night was not a good night for homophobes.

Americans in Maryland, Maine and Washington State voted to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, marking the first time that gay marriage rights have ever been approved by voters in a referendum. Over the past several years, voters in 32 states have passed ballot box initiatives to deny marriage rights to same-sex couples. 

In Maine's case, a referendum three years ago had annulled a same-sex marriage law that had been passed by the state legislature, once again stripping gays of the right to marry. Now the electorate has seen the light and corrected this little oversight.

Also of note: Minnesota voters said no to a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Phew!

In all four cases, pro-gay forces won by a margin of about 4 percent. 

But the good gay news doesn't stop there. Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin (pictured) has become the first openly gay US senator!

“Tammy Baldwin’s victory showed what a majority of Americans already know: that candidates should be judged on their qualifications for the job and not their sexual orientation,” said Herndon Graddick, president of the gay rights organization GLAAD.

Add to that the re-election of the first sitting President to support gay marriage and you know there were a lot of angry haters. Take that, Mittches!