Tide turning - Gay marriage ruling

That America’s supreme court yesterday declined to decide on whether states can ban gay marriage, will allow gay men and women to marry in five states where same-sex weddings had been forbidden.

That the decision was handed down as the Catholic hierarchy convened to discuss the future of the family in Rome adds and air of irony to the proceedings. The decision also recognises an everyday reality far beyond anything under consideration in the Vatican.

The states involved in yesterday’s action — Virginia, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin, and Indiana — could hardly be described as America’s most liberal, and many of those who would oppose proposals to legalise same-sex marriage in Ireland would feel at home there.

A referendum on gay marriage is scheduled for next spring, and the usual forces will line up in the usual way and have the usual bad-tempered and divisive debate. Yesterday’s ruling, however, is another confirmation that the tide has turned and that the old hatreds are no longer acceptable.