Despite freezing cold temperatures throughout the US this week, the gay marriage debate in the state of Utah is heating up well beyond the melting point. Gay marriage enjoyed a short-lived stint in the Mormon-brimming Beehive State--after Federal Judge Robert Shelby gave the green light to LGBT couples on December 20, 2013--only to be stopped less than a month later. This abrupt halt came about when the Supreme Court recently decided to hear a request by Utah state officials to stop the proceedings.
What happens to the gay couples who have already wed?
As of the now, there is a looming sense of doubt as to whether or not the pairs who have already taken their vows will have their marriages invalidated by future court rulings. Unfortunately, Utah's attorney general Sean Reyes did not elucidate matters when questioned by journalists in Salt Lake City: "This is precisely the uncertainty that we were hoping to avoid. It's unfortunate that many Utah citizens have been put into this legal limbo."
Although hundreds of gay and lesbian couples have obtained legal licenses to marry in Utah, it looks as though they will have to wait to tie the knot until the decision is argued in the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado.
What's the big controversy surrounding gay marriage anyway?
Despite more than 12 states already allowing gay marriage, the subject remains a hotly debated political issue, not only in Utah but between gay rights activists and conservative social interest groups across the nation as well. In a recent public statement, Head of the National Organization for Marriage Brian Brown called Judge Shelby's decision "an affront to the rule of law and the sovereign rights of the people of Utah to define marriage." In addition to these kinds of rampant socio-political views, orthodox Mormonism--the state's predominant religion--typically views gay marriage as an immoral act.
What does this mean for the future of gay marriage in the state of Utah?
Unless the Supreme Court decides to support Shelby's original ruling on gay marriage, same-sex couples in Utah will have to wait until public opinion changes before throwing any more rice on their teary-eyed wedding guests. Fortunately for those on both sides of the gay marriage debate who are anxious to have the issue resolved quickly, the Denver appeals court is set to hear the controversial case sooner than some might have expected--the cutoff date for both parties to submit legal documents is February 25.
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