Regardless of the substantive merits of whether a particular state or state sub-unit “should” “recognize” “gay marriage”–no right-thinking libertarian ought to be in favor of the feds–or even California–forcing San Francisco to abandon its recent policy of marrying gays. You can say the SF government should not exist; should not marry gays; should not be in the business of marrying anyone. But that does not imply that California or the Feds should have the power to do anything about it (and in the case of the Feds, constitutionally, they do NOT have the power to do anything other than to refuse to force other states to give full faith and credit California’s gay marriage policy).
IMHO, libertarians who are against gay marriage should not make the mistake of abandoning decentralization by endorsing the feds’ interference with local government policies on this issue.
4:33 pm on February 20, 2004
