美國同性婚姻終合法,支持者迎來勝利日

The US Supreme Court has handed two landmark victories to gay Americans and advocates of same-sex marriage, ordering the federal government to recognise legally married gay couples and paving the way for the resumption of same-sex weddings in California.

美國最高法院(US Supreme Court)做出兩項裁決，一項要求聯邦政府承認合法結婚同性伴侶的權益，另一項爲加州讓同性婚姻再度合法化鋪平了道路。對美國同性戀人羣和同性婚姻擁護者來說，這是兩個里程碑式的勝利。

The rulings, both with 5-4 majorities, come amid a seismic shift in the US in public attitudes in favour of same-sex marriage. Crowds of people waved rainbow flags outside the court in celebration yesterday, while social conservatives condemned the decision as an affront to natural order.

這兩項裁決（投票結果均爲5票對4票）做出之際，美國公衆對同性婚姻的態度正在發生巨大變化，更多人轉向認同同性婚姻。昨日，許多人在法院外面揮舞彩虹旗以示慶祝，而社會保守人士則譴責這兩項裁決是在對抗人類自然秩序。

President Barack Obama applauded the decisions. “The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.”

美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)對裁決表示讚賞。他說：“我們國家的法律正在改進，以求符合一項無數美國人心中信仰的基本真理：當所有的美國人——不論他們身份如何、取向如何——都能受到平等對待時，我們所有人都會更加自由。”

The Supreme Court did not answer the fundamental question about whether gay and lesbian people have a right to get married. Instead, with its decision to overturn a central plank of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, the majority of the justices declared that the federal government must grant the same rights to all legally married couples.

美國最高法院並未回答同性戀人士是否有權結婚這個根本問題。但該法院以多數票裁定1996年《婚姻保護法》（Defense of Marriage Act，將婚姻定義爲“一男一女的結合”）核心條款違憲。這所表達的意思是，聯邦政府必須讓所有合法結婚的伴侶享有同等權利。

Under Doma, same-sex marriages were not eligible for the 1,110 federal benefits – from the ability to file taxes jointly to pension inheritance – that straight couples enjoyed. Twelve states and the District of Columbia now allow same-sex weddings.

根據美國目前的《婚姻保護法》，同性婚姻中的伴侶不享有異性婚姻伴侶享有的1110項聯邦福利——從共同報稅權到養老金繼承權。目前，美國已有12個州以及哥倫比亞特區允許同性結婚。

“This [Doma] places same-sex couples in an unstable position of being in a second-tier marriage,” Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote on the court, wrote in the opinion for the majority. He sided with the four liberal justices on the court in finding Doma unconstitutional.

投出決定性贊成票的大法官安東尼•肯尼迪(Justice Anthony Kennedy)在撰寫多方意見時稱：“（婚姻保護法）將同性婚姻置於二等婚姻的不穩定地位。”肯尼迪與最高法院中的另外4名自由派法官一起，裁定《婚姻保護法》違憲。

In the second decision, one that was not split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court gave the green light to California to allow same-sex marriages. The justices said the proponents of California’s ban on same-sex marriage had no right to defend it against a lower court’s ruling that same-sex couples who wanted to marry in California should be able to do so. The state of California declined to defend the ban, which was passed by voters in 2008.

美國最高法院的第二項裁決爲加州允許同性結婚開啓了綠燈。在做出這項裁決時，投贊成票和投反對票的法官並不是以意識形態劃分陣營的。法官們稱，加州同性結婚禁令的支持者們無權對抗一個低級法院的一項裁決，即想在加州結婚的同性伴侶有權這樣做。加州拒絕爲這項在2008年由選民通過的禁令作出辯護。

The justices sent the case back to a lower court with instructions for it to dismiss the case.

法官們將該案發回低級法院，並建議其駁回該案。

Together, the rulings amount to a double boost for advocates of same-sex marriage.

上述兩項裁決相當於爲同性婚姻的支持者提供了雙重鼓勵。