On Tuesday, the California federal appeals court found Proposition 8 unconstitutional. While many celebrated this as a milestone in the effort to sanction gay marriage in the state, the fight for equality is far from over.

Last week President Barack Obama openly criticized the Defense of Marriage Act and called for the Department of Justice to cease supporting it in court. While many gay rights advocates hail this as being the next big step after repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, there yet remains skepticism to the extent the president’s calls will be implemented.

As California’s priorities shift, the fight for gay rights must be at the forefront of radical change.

On Nov. 4 of last year, UC Santa Cruz students celebrated the election of the 44th president of the United States with a large victory run that spanned the entire campus. However, the joyful mood was soon dampened when news of the passage of Proposition 8 became known, and students’ hopes for marriage equality in the state of California began to fade.

These days, it seems that culture wars have as secure a standing in America as apple pie and baseball.  The recent battle between entertainment blogger Perez Hilton and Miss USA contestant Carrie Prejean highlights one of the most contentious cultural debates facing our nation: same-sex marriage. Unless you’ve been avoiding all forms of mainstream media [...]