Just a generation ago, the idea of same-sex couples entering state-recognized marriages seemed inconceivable. Even as recently as 2003, private, consensual sodomy was still theoretically subject to criminal sanction in some American jurisdictions. Yet today, same-sex marriage is the law of the land in Massachusetts, as well as in Canada, South Africa, and a growing list of European countries. In the history of Western civilization, no formerly marginalized group has come so far, so fast.

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