Supporters of gay rights saw real progress on the horizonWednesday after the re-election of "ally-in-chief" Barack Obama andimportant gains for same-sex marriage in four states. Voters in Maryland, Maineand Washington approved marriage equality in referendums run in parallel withWednesday's elections -- the first time it has ever been approved at the ballotbox in the United States. Those in Minnesota, meanwhile, rejected a proposal toban gay marriage in the northern state's constitution.
Same-sex marriage is already legal in Connecticut, Iowa,Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, as well as the District ofColumbia. But it remains a divisive issue, banned in some 30 of the 50 states-- notably California, where its legalisation was overturned in a 2008referendum -- and fiercely opposed by evangelical Christians and Roman Catholicbishops.
Obama made history in May as the first serving president topublicly support marriage equality. Last year he repealed the "don't ask,don't tell" ban on gays serving openly in the US military.
Wednesday also saw the election of Tammy Baldwin ofWisconsin as the first openly gay member of the US Senate. Since 1999 theDemocrat has been a member of the lower House of Representatives.
