Alice Muniz and Oneida Garcia had their lesbian wedding all planned'”down to the salsa band, rented yacht, and 'œtwilight ceremony in New York Harbor,' said Andrew Jacobs in The New York Times. But that was before their state's highest court called off the celebration. In a 4'“2 decision last week, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that homosexual couples have no legal right to marry. For thousands of gay New Yorkers, the decision was a stunning setback. 'œIn our eyes, we are married,' said Muniz. 'œIt would have been nice if society could see us that way, too.'
With this ruling, said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial, New York has turned back the clock on 'œhistory and justice.' Momentum for gay marriage has been building ever since the Massachusetts legislature approved same-sex unions in 2003. If there's any consolation, it's that it took decades for our nation to reject its racist anti-miscegenation laws. 'œSomeday, we'll look back on the anti-gay-marriage hysteria with the same revulsion.' But if that change occurs, it should be driven by popular will'”not by the opinion of a few judges, said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. New Yorkers are still free to fight for a law legalizing gay marriage in their state, and indeed, the court of appeals invited them to do so. The court's majority simply found that the state's constitution does not guarantee same-sex couples any 'œright' to marry. For once, a group of judges has resisted the 'œpolitically fashionable' impulse to legislate social change from the bench.
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