Looking back, it's hard to believe there was a time when prejudice and ignorance were so openly displayed in the U.S. Senate. Hate-filled beliefs about moral superiority and unrestrained support for discrimination in housing, employment and recreation were the order of the day. Laws promoting equal rights were not only rejected, but used as evidence of their promoters' unfitness to serve.

But I'm not talking about some senators' views of blacks in 1948. I'm talking about their views of gays and lesbians today....

Half a century ago, Strom Thurmond won four states and received 39 electoral votes running on a segregationist platform.... Today, it is crystal clear to most Americans that those positions are not just outdated, but vile and hideous ghosts of an ugly past. A half century from now, Americans may look back on our current attitude toward gays with the same level of clarity.