“They want to abolish age of consent laws, which means children would, we would do away with statutory rape laws so that adults will be able to freely prey on little children sexually. That’s the deviance that we’re seeing embraced in our culture today.”

— Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), quoted by the Huffington Post, on what the gay community really wants.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said that the GOP “shouldn’t stop debating same-sex marriage, despite shifting national attitudes and a string of court decisions that have overturned gay marriage bans,” Politico reports.

Said Christie: “I don’t think there’s some referee who stands up and says, ‘OK, now it’s time for you to change your opinion. The country will resolve this over a period of time. But do I think it’s resolved? No.”

A Colorado judge declared the state’s “ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional, but he immediately stayed his ruling,” the Denver Post reports.

Judge C. Scott Crabtree “pulled no punches” in his 49-page ruling, saying the state’s voter-approved ban “bears no rational relationship to any conceivable government interest.”

The Utah Attorney General’s Office announced that “it will appeal the 10th Circuit Court’s decision last month upholding same-sex marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

“The state will not seek a full-court review by all 12 judges of the 10th Circuit Court, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.”

Politico: “Break out the rainbow flags and wedding bands, say gay marriage advocates: as this year’s term ends, they now predict that they’ll be celebrating a Supreme Court decision at the end of the next one — or at latest, 2016’s — fully legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.”

“Their optimism marks a sharp turn from two years ago, when many LGBT advocates were wary of rushing to the Supreme Court with a gay marriage legalization case, worried that they’d get there too quickly, get ruled against, and set the movement back years.”

A federal judge ruled that same-sex couples have a right to marry in Kentucky, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

U.S. District Judge John Heyburn “rejected the only justification offered by lawyers for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) — that traditional marriages contribute to a stable birth rate and the state’s long-term economic stability.”

Said Heyburn: “These arguments are not those of serious people.”

Wonk Wire: Nearly half of gay Americans live in states where they can marry

Wisconsin congressional candidate Karen Mueller (R) said that a recent federal ruling striking down Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban could lead to incestuous marriages, the Tomah Journal reports.

Said Mueller: “We’ve got, for instance, two sisters, and these two sisters want to get married. They love each other. They are committed to each other. They want to spend the rest of their life together.”

She said their lawyers could argue, “‘We can just do away with that state law the same way we did away with sodomy laws.’ Once you do away with that, you reveal what is really going on here.”

Wonk Wire: Nearly half of gay Americans live in states where they can marry

A federal appeals court ruled that states outlawing same-sex marriage are in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

“By upholding a Utah judge’s decision, a three-member panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver became the first appeals court in the nation to rule on the issue, setting a historic precedent that voter-approved bans on same-sex marriage violate the Fourteenth Amendment rights of same-sex couples to equal protection and due process.”

“But the court immediately stayed the implementation of its decision, pending an anticipated appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that “he’s a traditionalist, but if voters want gay marriage to be legal he won’t step in their way,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Said Johnson: “I’m a pretty traditional guy. I’m almost 60 years old. I think marriage is between a man and a woman. But again if the voters decide that they want gay marriage, I’m not going to oppose it.”

For years, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) “has been a rock-solid proponent of traditional marriage between one man and one woman,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

“But that is no longer the case. During a 12-minute news conference at a muddy and messy groundbreaking event in Oak Creek, the first-term Republican governor argued that his position on same-sex marriage is no longer relevant.”

Said Walker: “It really doesn’t matter what I think now.”

A federal court has overturned Wisconsin’s ban on same sex marriage, the AP reports.

“The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight gay couples in February challenging Wisconsin’s constitutional ban on gay marriage. The lawsuit contends the state’s ban denies gay couples the civil rights that other married couples enjoy.”

Iowa U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst (R) “says she thinks the legality of same-sex marriage should be left up to the states — but would still support a federal ban on gay marriage if one were proposed,” the Huffington Post reports.

“Let’s face it: anybody who does not believe that gay marriage is going to be the law of the land just hasn’t been observing what’s going on.”

— Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), interviewed on the Doug Wright Show.

“Life is too short to have the force of government stand in the way of two adults whose pursuit of happiness includes marriage.”

— Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer, reversing his opposition to same-sex marriage.

“Sensing trouble ahead for Wisconsin’s gay marriage ban, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen took the unusual step Friday of asking a federal judge to immediately block her own decision if she does strike down the ban,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

“Also Friday, Gov. Scott Walker (R) backed away from his previous support for the state ban on gay marriage passed in 2006, saying he didn’t know if it violated the U.S. Constitution, would still be approved by voters today or would amount to a big change for the state’s values and economy if overturned. Making clear he wanted no part of this legal battle in an election year, the Republican governor said he was focused on other priorities.”

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) told the Washington Post that he is reconsidering his views on same-sex marriage.

Said Dent: “I will have more to say about marriage equality in the near future…. Now that the judge ruled, it caused me to reconsider my views on the matter. In 1996, when I voted for the Pennsylvania Defense of Marriage of Act, it felt appropriate at the time … but clearly times have changed, attitudes and perspectives have evolved, and I understand that.”

“For alleged officials, governors or attorney generals, to pick and choose which laws we’ll enforce, I think, is a tragedy and is the next step to anarchy.”

— Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R), quoted by the Washington Post, blasting the decision by some governors not to defend their state’s laws banning same-sex marriage.