looking at the bans.

The mid-term election has been an unquestionable victory for Democrats. By gaining control of both the House and the Senate it seems that the country has sent out a clear message that a regime change or at the very least, a wake-up call, is wanted. A very different message has been sent out in regards to ‘same-sex marriage’ following a much more conservative vote. Seven States (Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin) voted in support of the ban on same-sex marriage. This may not be especially surprising considering the political/cultural make-up of these states, but the level of anti-gay marriage sentiments was indeed very high; with some States passing the ban with percentages as high as 80% (Tennessee). Colorado, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin also voted with anti-domestic-partnership/anti-civil- union laws which show shockingly low levels of tolerance for gay partnerships.

The results were not all so bleak for the LGBT community; Arizona became the first in the nation to defeat a gay marriage ban (with around 52% of voters against the ban.) Another positive outcome was the election of the new governor in New York; Eliot Spitzer, who has made a pledge to work towards legalising same-sex marriage despite the Court of Appeals ruling saying it was illegal under current law. The election of Deval Patrick in Massachusetts is a further victory, as he also supports same-sex marriage and will hopefully fight the efforts by opponents to overturn the current law.