WeHo Anxiously Follows Supreme Court Marriage Equality Talks

On Tuesday Morning, United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy remarked that the court was entering "uncharted waters" in considering the rights of gay and lesbian couples to legally marry.

More than 3,000 miles away in West Hollywood, City Councilman John Duran urged Kennedy to take courage in navigating those waters.

"We hope he will do the right thing," said Duran, co-founder of Equality California, an organization that advocates for the rights of gay and lesbian couples to legally marry. "We hope he goes forward into those uncharted waters, knowing it will be treacherous, but considering justice, considering equality, considering the liberty issues involved, it's the right thing to do for the country, much like the repeal of the ban on inter-racial marriage."

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in a case regarding California Proposition 8--a ban on gay marriage that was passed by voters in 2008 and then declared unconstitutional by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in February, 2012.

Duran said during a press conference at West Hollywood City Hall on Tuesday afternoon that by agreeing to hear the hear the appeal of the 9th Circuit Court's decision, the Supreme Court has "thrown away their escape hatch."

Had the court thrown out the appeal, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling would have stood, opening the way for gay and lesbian couples to marry in California. It would have likely paved the way for another ballot measure on the issue.

Now, though, the court in entering into deliberations that could set a precedent for equal marriage rights across the entire nation.

"It seems that Justice Kennedy wants to get into the constitutional issue," Duran said.

Deliberations regarding the rights of gay and lesbian couples will continue in the Supreme Court on Wedesday, when justices will consider the legality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which denies partners in same-sex unions federal tax breaks and public benefits afforded opposite-sex couples.

"We're here on pins and needles," Duran said.

West Hollywood is home to one of the largest gay and lesbian populations in the nation, and was the first to establish a domestic partnership ordinance. However, he noted that even beyond WeHo's borders, public opinion about gay marriage has steadily shifted since 2008.

According to a Public Policy Institute Poll, the number of Californians who support gay marriage jumped from 44-percent in March of 2009 to 54-percent in May of 2012.

Paraphrasing civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Duran said that "the arc of history is long, but it tends toward equality."

One WeHo resident who is closely following the bend of the arc is city hall employee Mikel Gerle, 47.

He said he hopes to be married in September, and when he does, wants to have all the same rights as any other married couple.

"It really comes down to dignity," Gerle said. "It's a part of my life. I've been in relationships, I've lived with partners, I've hard partners who have died in the hospital. I know what it's like to be at the whims of a head nurse."