But when did Massachusetts become a country?
Not that I'm disputing your basic point, but it doesn't really apply in this case. The point of the article isn't that states/provinces allow gay marriage (in the article, it says that all provinces allow it), the point is that Canada *as a nation* is about to recognize it. So MA isn't relevant.
Sorry, quick correction - *seven* provinces allow it.
I'm sure that's what's going thru the media's head, but if you want to quibble here, then so will I.
The fact is that until Bubba signed a law just a few years ago, there was no federal law in the US that prohibited gay marriage. And even that law doesn't really prohibit gay marriage, as evidenced by the fact that they have gay marriage in MA.
And if you really want to get down and dirty, the reality is that we now have gay marriage in every state. All you've got to do is go to MA and get married, and then the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution requires each of the other 49 states to recognize the validity of that marriage.
Of course, I understand that the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on that issue since MA legalized gay marriage, but there are Supreme Court cases on record which state that the full faith and credit clause requires every state to recognize the validity of marriages performed in the other states. So it would surprise at least me if they were to now say otherwise.
What's going on here is actually quite simple. The media wants you to think that the US law on gay marriage is ultra-right wing, while the rest of the world is moving toward permitting gay marriage. In fact, the US position on gay marriage is one of the most liberal in the world, and is getting more liberal all the time.
We are way out of step with the rest of the world, and it's not because we're too conservative. It's because we're too liberal.