Same-sex marriage ruling proves even America's cultural wars are not eternal

The advance of gay rights has been astonishing in its speed

People celebrate outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on June 26, 2015 after its historic decision on gay marriage. (AFP)

The US Supreme Court’s historic ruling that gay marriage is a right protected by the Constitution is proof that even America’s culture wars are not eternal.

For decades, abortion, gun rights and religion’s place in society have divided the country along liberal/conservative lines, usually pitting Democrats against Republicans, with no end in sight.

Gay rights is the exception. Call the issue what you will: the latest instalment of the civil rights struggle, or a controversy rendered obsolete by a laid-back younger generation that can’t understand what the fuss is about – the advance of gay rights has been astonishing in its speed.

Yes, the US is following an established trend. But as recently as 1996, Bill Clinton, no conservative, signed the Defence of Marriage Act that said marriage could only be between a man and a woman. Then a few liberal states sanctioned the practice. In 2013, a key part of the Act was overturned. Now, gay marriage is the law of the land.