EJ Montini

The Republic | azcentral.com

It might be a bit presumptuous to send out the invitations, at least for the moment.

But a forward-looking same-sex couple hoping to get married would be wise to check out the many wonderful wedding and reception venues in the Valley.

I suspect just about everything will be booked very soon.

Last week U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick told the parties involved in the challenge to Arizona same-sex marriage ban that he believe that a ruling issued by the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the 9th District that declared unconstitutional similar bans in Idaho and Nevada would also apply to Arizona.

He gave the state until Thursday to come up with an argument to convince him otherwise.

But there is no good argument.

There has been no good argument against same-sex marriage for a very long time.

Now, it appears Arizona is about to be forced to say "I do" to same-sex marriage. Sort of a legal shotgun wedding.

Acceptance of such things does not come easily, however, and I wouldn't expect Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne to quickly and quietly acquiesce (although it would demonstrate some class and grace if he did.)

Proponents of same-sex marriage bans are like boxers who have been knocked the canvas several times and continue getting up, dazed and vulnerable.

It's time for the referee – the courts – to stop the fight. Declare a technical knockout.

Until that happens, organizations like Why Marriage Matters Arizona will continue throwing legal punches, urging Horne to throw in the towel.

Last week the group delivered petitions to Horne's office asking him to acknowledge to court's ruling in the other states and quit enforcing Arizona's law.

His spokeswoman said, "The way it stands now, gay marriage in Arizona is unconstitutional. That's the law and we, as the state attorneys, have to defend that law."

Jeremy Zegas of Why Marriage Matters Arizona told me, "It's a shame they're taking such a stance. It doesn't appear they have much legal ground to stand on. But, we'll just keep going. We're very hopeful about the future."

That wasn't the case not too long ago.

The public's attitude about same-sex marriage has altered dramatically in only a couple of years.

"Two big things happened," Zegas said. "The LGBT community became more vocal and more visible. And everyone else came to realize that they knew such people. They're someone in their family, or someone they work with or a neighbor, or a friend. And there is nothing scary about it. All they are asking for is the same right as straight people. The other thing is the way advocates of same-sex marriage started talking about it. They're telling more of the whole story. Not just the civils rights aspect but the part about this being a loving commitment between people, many with children, and that they deserved the same family protections. All of that that helped people to get a better understanding and to move things forward."

What seemed unlikely, even impossible, less than a decade ago now seems inevitable.

"It's an exciting time, but there is still work to do," Zegas said. "This could be a very big week."

For same-sex couples. And for wedding planners.