Proponents of same-sex marriage were understandably saddened by the passage of Proposition 8 in California, but there is good news elsewhere. Yesterday saw the first same-sex marriage performed in Connecticut, following the state supreme court's decision in October overturning a law banning same-sex marriage.
Certainly a defeat of Proposition 8 by public vote would have been much better: not only would it have further validated the tens of thousands of same-sex marriages performed in California since its state supreme court ruling, it would have been a strong signal to other states that public opinion is supportive of same-sex marriage.

Yet the Connecticut decision is important also, even though it directly affects a much smaller population. Prejudices fade away slowly over time, and I am confident that Proposition 8 will eventually be overturned, and that marriage equality will ultimately prevail in the United States. And while progress may have taken a large step back in California on election day, it moved forward in Connecticut yesterday, and for that we should be thankful.