The recent legalization of same-sex marriage in New York proves that it’s no longer an issue in the United States, right? Gay marriage will eventually, but certainly, become widely accepted everywhere, right? Not if the American people have anything to say about it.

So far, the question has been put directly to American voters 31 times, and 31 times voters have said marriage is a one-man and one-woman deal, according to Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage. Most notably was the Proposition 8 referendum in which California voters overrode a state supreme court decision ratifying same-sex marriage.

Yet, the march to official recognition of gay marriage by lawmakers and the courts is inevitable despite public opposition, its supporters say. Seven states (including California where a federal judge ruled the Prop 8 results don’t matter) and the District of Columbia now issue same-sex marriage licenses. New York’s legal redefinition of marriage seals it.

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Dennis Byrne, a Chicago-area writer, blogs in The Barbershop at chicagonow.com.