The lead article in today’s New York Times, “New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage Becoming Largest State to Pass Law,” mirrors a pivotal change in public opinion in favor of these unions. No matter what your personal or religious viewpoint, you must be impressed by how far the gay rights movement has come and its impact on our society.

Negotiations over the bill were marked by the insertion of special protections for religious institutions to ensure they would not be subject to lawsuits based on their practices regarding the issue, and this served as an effective compromise to ultimately allow passage of the legislation.

No doubt many will be offended by the idea of same-sex marriage, and I must admit to a personal revulsion when witnessing two guys kiss, an event that I have been mostly spared from except in the movies. Yet, despite my born-again Christian beliefs, I do acknowledge that others do not subscribe to those views, and that it is in the nature of this great nation to allow many different opinions. And that I cannot impose my religious beliefs on others; God wants them to make that choice for themselves. And I do not see traditional marriage threatened by allowing civil marriages among same-sex couples.

So I must say kudos to the same-sex community for its persistence and ultimate success in getting this transformative legislation passed despite all the odds.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “In Turnabout, U.S. Says marriage Act Blocks Gay Rights,” describes a breathtaking reversal by the Department of Justice by refusing to support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, declaring it unconstitutional.

Despite conservative attempts to argue otherwise, the Department of Justice does have the right to take this stand and has done so with other legislation in the past. It is somewhat unusual, however, in that it comes after two years of defending the Act.

The article claims that the Administration’s decision came about as a result of two new lawsuits against DOMA that would have required it to argue that gays had not been stigmatized in the past. Yet I can still see reasonable people differing on both sides of this issue.

I know that Pastors and Reverends are concerned that they will be forced to conduct gay marriages against their beliefs, and, as a born-again Christian, I am well aware of the description of gay living as an “abomination.”

On the other hand, I am also a committed liberal (and proud of it) Democrat and am acutely aware of the civil rights need for this kind of stance. I have had a gay client in my business and imagine many other Americans have had similar interactions in other areas of their life.

So, what’s the answer? I think some framework needs to be carved out for conscientious objecters among clergy at the very least. And some creativity would be necessary by Congress to meet any legal fiats that may eventually come down from the Courts.

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “California’s Ban on Gay Marriage is Struck Down,” describes a federal ruling in San Francisco striking down Proposition 8, a proposal to ban gay marriage that garnered support from 52 percent of the electorate.

The judge stayed his own ruling pending appeal, but it was still a significant victory for gay rights advocates. The reason the judge gave for his decision involved the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, and it is hard to quarrel with the gist of the argument.

In my opinion, gay marriage does not threaten the traditional institution, and no one has ever presented any solid evidence showing that it does. While Christians believe in the traditional format, and I’m one of them, we are not required to conduct gay marriages in our own churches, and it seems an overreach to try and dictate to civil authorities.

One question raised by the article involved whether the Republicans will try and make this a wedge issue to influence voters going to the polls this November or in 2012. I think any attempt to do so will backfire on them at a time whether most voters are concerned about jobs and the economy. U.S. society is at a different place today than when Republicans last tried this tactic.

Today’s ruling will probably end up at the Supreme Court, and it’s interesting to note that the lawyers in favor of the plaintiff (pro gay marriage), Ted Olson and David Boies, last paired off against each other during the Florida recount case at that august institution.