Steele Sticks to States' Rights

The Iowa Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling gives us a chance to parse Republican National Committee Chairman (RNC) Michael Steele's response. As Andrew Sullivan has noted, Steele's stance on the issue has, at times, appeared conflicted. He has advocated states' rights; said he is personally against gay marriage but that he supports the personal values of gay people he knows; he has supported rights for same-sex partners at times of medical crises, for instance; but he has also opposed the notion of civil unions.

Today, he stayed out of the ideology of gay marriage and stuck to criticizing "judicial activism," maintaining the states' rights stance he took in an interview with GQ last month. His official response to the Iowa decision, as released by the RNC:

The Iowa Supreme Court's decision today to reverse an 11 year old state law outlawing same-sex marriage is sadly another example of judicial activism currently threatening family values in America.  While I respect an individual's right to live his or her life as they see fit, decisions like this are better left in the hands of legislators and governors.

I firmly believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman.  A state's autonomous nature allows it to change its laws as the citizenry sees fit, but it should be done by the people, not through judicial decree.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/04/steele-sticks-to-states-rights/7238/