By JOSEPH CLINES

The Supreme Court hearings regarding the legality of gay marriage, perhaps the most contested civil rights issue since the days of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, are little more than a formality.

Regardless of where one sides on the issue, it is the general consensus that the country is heading towards a more tolerant and progressive era. Stating that the country is becoming more “progressive” on the issue is misleading, however, because “progressive” has the connotation of being revolutionary.

Advocates of gay marriage, including all those Facebook activists who posted “equality signs” on their pages, are no longer “progressive.” Today they are the norm. Tolerance is becoming far more widespread in America, and the number of those opposed to marriage equality is waning. Those who oppose it are quickly becoming out of touch and too fond of a bygone era in which “tradition” masked latent feelings of bigotry.

While those who support the rights of same sex couples to marry are “pro-gay rights” individuals, there is no politically correct term for those who are against gay rights. People do not advertise themselves as “con-gay rights” because it immediately reveals their true, hateful feelings on the matter, from the guise of “traditional religious values,” which are, of course, off limits to attack.

No matter how much one defends his or her disdain for gay marriage as merely an admiration for “traditional” and religious “norms,” one cannot justify that second class treatment under the law is anything but intolerant. The term “norm” in itself implies only that it is the status quo. It says nothing about the fairness of the status quo or the suffering and relegation of citizens that the status quo upholds.

Norms are fluid and consistently evolving in a society that regards itself as progressive. Rarely, if ever, are radical shifts in society met with acceptance, particularly in their earliest stages. One can even argue that the more radical the movement for change is, the more heavily it will be criticized. Everything from women in the workplace to desegregated schools and public places would seem absurd in previous times. Societal changes take place gradually, but the process comes full circle, as society’s view of a movement shifts from the days of hostility and rejection to the inevitable “I can’t believe segregation took place in my parents’ lifetime.”

While politicians’ attitudes towards gay marriage have shifted, most notably in President Obama’s direct statement supporting marriage equality, the almost-universal support for equality voiced by the youth of America is even more significant. As per Frank Bruni’s March 23 article in The New York Times, 81 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 support marriage equality for all. The percentage is staggering and will only continue to grow.

While speaking with students, however, I was surprised to find that not many held strong opinions on the matter. Commonly, students reacted with an answer along the lines of “Why not?”  Bruni elaborates in his article that, unlike hot-button issues such as abortion or redistribution of wealth, gay marriage truly is a “victimless” pursuit, in which the only casualties are the sanctity of tyrannical “traditions” which right-wingers seek to prolong.

Students also shared feelings of disbelief that the “issue” is still being debated in the court system. Much of America’s youth believe it is a shame that federal courts have lagged so far behind the court of public opinion.

Just as the Republican Party, the embodiment and driving force of intolerance in America, has reluctantly realized it must embrace the enormous and growing contingent of Latino voters, the party must adjust its agenda to answer to the demands of the 81 percent of current and future voters who ardently supports universal marriage equality.

Regardless of how events unfold, the tides have shifted, permanently, in the national conversation on gay marriage. The gay marriage “debate” has been settled. The legalization of gay rights is inevitable.

Joseph Clines, FCRH ’14, is an economics major from Malverne, NY.