Basically the only reason that gays are winning some battles is the following imo. Although the states have never amended the Constitution to expressly protect so-called gay rights, many patriots, evidently including Fr. Longenecke, probably don't know enough about how constitutionally enumerated rights work to argue that point with activist judges who are wrongly legislating gay rights from the bench, not that such judges would care.
What patriots need to do with activist judges is the following. Patriots need to work with state and federal lawmakers to make punitive laws which would require judges to do the following. Judges would be required to promptly, clearly and publicly specify all constitutional clauses to justify their decisions. And in those cases where the Constitution is silent about a particular issue, judges would be required to clarify that such an issue is a 10th Amendment-protected state power issue.
Gays are winning for one simple reason. They are like the pest who hits you and then hides behind his mothers skirt.
They are the new bullies.