Pullen Baptist Church, located in Raliegh, NC, has decided to protest the state’s proposed constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage by not performing any weddings until full marriage equality is guaranteed for all, as reported by ThinkProgress.

This decision was made by a unanimous vote of the congregation, which is comprised of approximately 650 members. When asked, “The congregants said in a formal statement that current North Carolina law – and the language proposed for a vote next year on an amendment to the state Constitution – discriminates against same-sex couples ‘by denying them the rights and privileges enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.'”

Nancy Petty, Pastor of the Pullen Baptist Church, is a lesbian and began having “a burden of conscience” while signing marriage certificates for heterosexual couples and not for homosexual couples. When she expressed her concerns to her congregation, they supported her 100% and began the process of banning all marriage in their church until full marriage equality was realized.

Stories such as these give me hope in this uncertain political climate. While the Republican presidential candidates attempt to out posture each other by proving they are best suited to support “traditional” family and beat back the oppressively sinful homosexuals and while Obama continues to waffle  on gay issues, it’s nice to see American citizens taking a stand against discrimination. These people are making their voices heard. They are telling their elected officials that they are tired of discriminatory legislation, and they won’t stand for it anymore.

One day (hopefully soon), voices against discrimination will echo throughout the 50 state capitals and The White House, and like the congregation at Pullen Baptist Church, everyone might come to believe that “As people of faith, affirming the Christian teaching that before God all people are equal, we will no longer participate in this discrimination.” 

It just might be on its way there.

The California State Supreme Court ruled today that “proponents of Proposition 8 do have standing to appeal Federal District Judge Walker Vaughn’s ruling declaring the anti-gay marriage initiative unconstitutional, even if state officials refuse to take up the matter,” as reported by ThinkProgress.

While this might sound like a negative for gay rights/marriage, this could actually force the United States Supreme Court to finally decide once and for all the constitutionality of banning gay marriage in the nation.

This case will make its way to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The three judges who make up that court will have to decide whether Prop 8 is constitutional or not. Two of those judges, Judge Stephen Reinhardt and Judge Michael Daly Hawkins are “one of the most liberal judges in the country” and “sympathetic. . .to marriage discrimination,” respectively. With these two judges on the court, it’s almost certain they will agree with Judge Walker’s ruling.

Naturally, proponents of Prop 8 will be unhappy, and the case will likely find its way to The Supreme Court. While the make up of the Supreme Court seems conservative in its majority–Justices Scalia and Kennedy appointed by President Reagan, Justice Thomas appointed by President George W. H. Bush, and Justices Roberts and Alito appointed by President George W. Bush, Justice Kennedy “has a fairly progressive streak on gay rights. Kennedy wrote the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Romer v. Evans holding that laws motivated solely by anti-gay animus violate the Constitution, and he also wrote the decision in Lawrence v. Texas holding that the government has virtually no business regulating people’s sex lives.”

This means that should the case find its way to the Supreme Court, we might just have the ruling we need–banning gay marriage is unconstitutional. This would mean all states would then be prohibited from denying homosexual couples the right to marry and allow gay married couples federal benefits previously denied.