Gay

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law, and in 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in the state. But 2013 could be the year the bans become history and gay marriage becomes legal across the US. That's up to the Supreme Court, which hears arguments this week on both laws. Oral arguments on Prop. 8 begin Tuesday, while Wednesday is all about DOMA. A decision likely won't come until July, so until then, let's look into what might impact the court's ruling.

First, What's at Stake
If the court declares DOMA unconstitutional, the federal government would have to recognize same-sex couples legally married in different states and grant them benefits like Social Security. As for Prop. 8, if the Supreme Court rules California's ban is unconstitutional, then gay-marriage bans in every state could be overturned, making gay marriage legal across the US.

Various Outcomes Are Possible
While the court might establish a nationwide constitutional right to gay marriage in the Prop. 8 case, it also could rule in a way that limits its decision to California only. For example, the court could rule that the parties in the case lack "standing" to be in front of the Supreme Court, and thus that it does not have jurisdiction to rule. Without granting a constitutional right to same-sex marriage across the country, a narrower ruling could leave intact lower-court decisions, meaning that California would have to grant gay marriage and that Section 3 of DOMA, which mandates the nonrecognition of same-sex marriages for all federal purposes, would be thrown out.

Keep reading to find out which justice could decide the case.

Today, President Barack Obama spoke out at an impromptu news conference against California's Proposition 8 ballot measure that bans gay marriage. He said that Prop. 8 "doesn't provide any rationale for discriminating against same-sex couples other than just the notion, 'Well, they're same-sex couples.'" Obama's remarks come a day after his administration issued a brief urging justices to overturn California's gay marriage ban. The president said, "I felt it was important for us to articulate what I believe and what this administration stands for."

Obama went on to say that since the brief was specifically about California, it didn't explicitly argue that gay marriage should be legal in every state. "That's an argument that I make, personally," he said. "The court may decide that if it doesn't apply in this case, it probably can't apply in any case. There's no good reason for it."

This is an important milestone, as Obama's comments could influence the Supreme Court's decision on the Prop. 8 case — which will be argued March 26 — causing a domino effect with the seven other states that give gay couples the benefits of marriage through civil unions or domestic partnership without allowing them to wed.

In the past, Obama has held a stance that the legalization of same-sex marriage should be decided by the states, but he's become bolder with his backing of the cause since officially voicing his support of gay marriage in May of last year. In his State of the Union address last month, Obama referenced his stance on gay rights, saying, "It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country — the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love."

California delivered a victory for gay-rights activists this past Saturday when the state's governor signed a bill banning therapy that attempts to change a minor's sexual orientation. The golden state was the first to pass such a law. Gov. Jerry Brown said: "This bill bans nonscientific 'therapies' that have driven young people to depression and suicide. These practices have no basis in science or medicine and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery."

The legal move backs up recent campaigns to support gay teens following a wave of publicized suicides. Two years ago, columnist Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, started the It Gets Better Project, hoping that video messages from gay adults would encourage alienated gay teens who faced bullying or antigay therapy. The project went viral, and more than 200 inspiring videos were uploaded in the first week from gay and straight allies alike. The Human Rights Campaign also specifically petitioned lawmakers to take action against "reparative therapy."

At least one former activist in the so-called "ex-gay" community has admitted that it is not possible to "treat" homosexuality. John Smid, an "ex-gay" who used to run Love in Action, a fundamentalist Christian program that claimed homosexuality was a curable addictive behavior, resigned from the group in 2008 and eventually said that he had "never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual" — including himself. If you want to know more about the ex-gay "therapy" movement, which California just outlawed, check out the film This Is What Love in Action Looks Like. The trailer is below

This week's confession comes from our anonymous Confession Booth group in the TrèsSugar Community. Weigh in with your advice below.

So I've been prepping to do this for several weeks now, refining and rewriting my letter over and over until it's exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it. I just clicked the send button and now it's in God's hands, awaiting their response . . . Have my support structure in place, just hope I am as ready as I think I am.

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