The State of Gay Marriage

Opponents of it are on a judicial winning streak. Washington State's Supreme Court last week upheld a law prohibiting same-sex marriage--the fifth state this month to rule in favor of a ban. (See map, below.) "Marriage is safe for another day," says Mathew Staver, chairman of the conservative group Liberty Counsel. But advocates of gay marriage remain hopeful. Judicial decisions on legal challenges in four states are expected shortly. New Jersey's Supreme Court may rule as soon as this week. "We have to put this in a much bigger context," says Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, a gay-advocacy lobby. "We've come so far in such a short period."