2012 is gearing up to be the year of the showdown.

California is setting the stage for a showdown in the United States Supreme Court.

With the Feb. 7, ruling on Proposition 8, marriage equality is one step closer to being a reality, one that may ultimately come at the hands of the Supreme Court.

Proposition 8 began as a ballot proposition in California to amend the state constitution to include a ban on same-sex marriage.

Upon narrowly passing with popular support, the question of Proposition 8’s legality was brought into the discourse surrounding the debate.

After much legal contention, Proposition 8 worked its way through the court system and was ruled upon in a federal appeals court by the 9th Circuit Court this week, which overturned the amendment, stating that it was unconstitutional to infringe upon civil liberties in this manner.

To me, the fact that we still have marriage inequality in the United States is absurd at best and frankly downright barbaric.

I am glad that Proposition 8 is once again in the news after almost a year of silence since arguments have been made for and against it in court. However, I find myself surprised that an issue with so much controversy surrounding it does not get as much press.

Labeling a relationship as unworthy of legal recognition is an issue that seems to trend in waves and fades from mainstream media.

Once the aftershocks of a court ruling or ballot initiatives begin to settle, the issue once again fades into the background of our political awareness, only re-emerging once a gross violation is committed once again.

With Proposition 8 being rendered unconstitutional this week, let us hope that this case will make its way to the Supreme Court and will be given the attention it deserves.