Editing 1431: Marriage
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | |||
− | + | {{incomplete|Explanation completely focussed on same-sex marriage, needs equivalent information on the history of interracial marriage in the U.S.}} | |
− | + | Two days before this comic came out, the United States Supreme Court [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/us/denying-review-justices-clear-way-for-gay-marriage-in-5-states.html declined to hear] appeals to decisions that had legalized same-sex marriage in five states. The court's refusal to hear the appeals was widely considered a surprise, and had the immediate effect of [http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/same-sex-marriage-is-now-legal-for-a-majority-of-the-u-s/ pushing past 50%] the percentage of people living in states where such marriages are legal. The decision has also led to considerable speculation that there will be a surge of similar decisions applying to other states, especially to the six states that are in the same {{w|United States courts of appeals|appeals circuits}} as the previous five, and to the three in the same circuit as Idaho and Nevada, where same-sex marriage bans [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/08/us/same-sex-marriage-bans-struck-down-in-idaho-and-nevada.html were struck down] a day after the Supreme Court's decision (although the decision in Idaho and Nevada has yet to take effect). | |
− | Two days before this comic came out, the United States Supreme Court [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/us/denying-review-justices-clear-way-for-gay-marriage-in-5-states.html declined to hear] appeals to decisions that had legalized same-sex marriage in five states. The court's refusal to hear the appeals was widely considered a surprise, and had the immediate effect of | ||
− | + | This comic notes that, in the 11 years since {{w|same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|Massachusetts first legalized}} same-sex marriage, at no point have there been more people living in states where it's legal than there are people who support its legality (although this may soon come to pass). This stands in stark contrast to interracial marriage, which was legal for the majority of the population for over 50 years, and for the whole country for 28 years, before it was supported by the majority. | |
+ | |||
+ | === Interracial marriage trend line explained === | ||
− | |||
:''See also: {{w|Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States|Wikipedia: Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States}}'' | :''See also: {{w|Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States|Wikipedia: Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States}}'' | ||
− | Legal controls concerning interracial marriage in the US (known since 1863 as {{w|miscegenation}}) | + | Legal controls concerning interracial marriage in the US (known since 1863 as {{w|miscegenation}}) has been significantly harder to track, due in part to the fact that such controls existed in several of the American British colonies before the United States formed, and complicated somewhat by the changes in territory claimed by and fluctuations in overall population (and methods of counting the population) of the United States over that time period. Depicting this as a simple percentage of US population over these earlier times would be far less meaningful outside of the context of these other fluctuations. |
− | ;Start of line: Prior to ca. 1940 and continuing to 1948: Since the establishment of the United States, most states have had anti-miscegenation legislation in one form or another. Only | + | ;Start of line: Prior to ca. 1940 and continuing to 1948: Since the establishment of the United States, most states have had anti-miscegenation legislation in one form or another. Only Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia never enacted such legislation. Earlier repeal dates vary from as early as 1780 (Pennsylvania), to Ohio repealing the law in 1887, though none were repealed between 1887 and 1948. |
− | ;First rise: October 1948: Supreme Court of California | + | ;First rise: October 1948: Supreme Court of California overturned the state anti-miscegenation law in {{w|Perez v. Sharp}} |
− | ;General upward trend: | + | ;General upward trend: 1951–1967: [in order of repeal by year] Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, South Dakota, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, Utah, Indiana, Wyoming, and finally Maryland repealed anti-miscegenation laws prior to rulings at the federal level of government, largely encouraged by comparisons to similar laws promoted by opponents in World War II and other civil rights movements and victories. |
− | ;Last spike: 12 June 1967: The U.S. Supreme Court | + | ;Last spike: 12 June 1967: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in {{w|Loving v. Virginia}} that the remaining state-level anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional, rendering such laws thereafter ineffective. States effected by the ruling were Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. |
− | ===Same-sex marriage trend line explained=== | + | === Same-sex marriage trend line explained === |
:''See also: {{w|Same-sex marriage in the United States|Wikipedia: Same-sex marriage in the United States}}'' | :''See also: {{w|Same-sex marriage in the United States|Wikipedia: Same-sex marriage in the United States}}'' | ||
Line 36: | Line 35: | ||
;Start of line: 2003: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules in ''{{w|Goodridge v. Department of Public Health}}'' that the Massachusetts Constitution does not allow the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. | ;Start of line: 2003: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules in ''{{w|Goodridge v. Department of Public Health}}'' that the Massachusetts Constitution does not allow the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. | ||
− | ;First rise: | + | ;First rise: May–October 2008: The supreme courts of California and Connecticut make similar decisions based on their states' constitutions. |
;Drop: November 2008: The voters of California overturn their supreme court's decision by constitutional amendment on {{w|California Proposition 8 (2008)|Proposition 8}}. California is the most populous state in the Union, hence the large size of the drop here. | ;Drop: November 2008: The voters of California overturn their supreme court's decision by constitutional amendment on {{w|California Proposition 8 (2008)|Proposition 8}}. California is the most populous state in the Union, hence the large size of the drop here. | ||
− | ;Second rise: | + | ;Second rise: 2009–2010: Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia legalize same-sex marriage, the first by state supreme court decision, and the latter three by legislative action. |
− | ;First acceleration: | + | ;First acceleration: 2011–2012: New York legalizes same-sex marriage by legislative action. Washington State, Maine, and Maryland do so by voter referendum. |
− | ;Second acceleration: | + | ;Second acceleration: 2013–2014: The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in ''{{w|Hollingsworth v. Perry}}'' re-legalizes same-sex marriage in California. Seven states legalize it by legislative action or state court decision. The Supreme Court's decision in ''{{w|United States v. Windsor}}'', while not saying that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, is widely cited as precedent by judges who do say so. Oregon and Pennsylvania decline to appeal such decisions, and five states' appeals are declined by circuit courts, and declined to be heard by the Supreme Court. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
Line 57: | Line 56: | ||
:[Solid blue line:] Percentage of US population living in states with legal same-sex marriage | :[Solid blue line:] Percentage of US population living in states with legal same-sex marriage | ||
− | :[Interracial marriage is indicated as being more than 50% legal in 1940, with a very slight downward trend that spikes up slightly ca. 1948, then trends slowly upward to about 65% until ca. 1967, at which point it spikes directly to 100% legality | + | :[Interracial marriage is indicated as being more than 50% legal in 1940, with a very slight downward trend that spikes up slightly ca. 1948, then trends slowly upward to about 65% until ca. 1967, at which point it spikes directly to 100% legality to remain until 2014. Popular approval of interracial marriage is below 10% in the late 1950s, rising steadily to approximately 40% in 1980, then continuing to rise more slowly to the majority approval point in 1995, and spiking up to about 65% ca. 1997, plateauing until ca. 2003, rising quickly again to about 75% ca. 2006 and rising generally upward to the final ca. 2014 statistic depicted between 85% and 90% popular approval. The visual effect seems to be a wide gap of time between legalization of and popular approval of interracial marriage. Popular approval appears to trail legalization by no less than 20 years at any given point. |
:Popular approval of same-sex marriage (according to "various polls") is depicted first at about 15% ca. 1986, trending gradually upward until ca. 2000, where it plateaus between 35% and 40% to resume an upward trend ca. 2007, continuing steadily through majority approval in 2011 to a ca. 2014 value between 55% and 60%. The legality of same-sex marriage is indicated to start at 0% ca. 2002, then jumps quickly to plateau around 5% until ca. 2008, at which point it spikes up to between 15% and 20%, then plummets to just above than 5% by ca. 2009, jumping quickly back up to between 15% and 20% between ca. 2010 and 2011, then trending upward even more quickly to end at about 55% legality ca. 2014. The visual effect seems to be a more turbulent line for legality of same-sex marriage than any of the other trends, which also seems to be quickly closing on the popular approval trend. Popular approval has preceded legalization by nearly 20 years at certain points, but the trends appear to be closing and may intersect by 2015 or 2016.] | :Popular approval of same-sex marriage (according to "various polls") is depicted first at about 15% ca. 1986, trending gradually upward until ca. 2000, where it plateaus between 35% and 40% to resume an upward trend ca. 2007, continuing steadily through majority approval in 2011 to a ca. 2014 value between 55% and 60%. The legality of same-sex marriage is indicated to start at 0% ca. 2002, then jumps quickly to plateau around 5% until ca. 2008, at which point it spikes up to between 15% and 20%, then plummets to just above than 5% by ca. 2009, jumping quickly back up to between 15% and 20% between ca. 2010 and 2011, then trending upward even more quickly to end at about 55% legality ca. 2014. The visual effect seems to be a more turbulent line for legality of same-sex marriage than any of the other trends, which also seems to be quickly closing on the popular approval trend. Popular approval has preceded legalization by nearly 20 years at certain points, but the trends appear to be closing and may intersect by 2015 or 2016.] | ||
− | |||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− |