The December issue of The American Prospect checks in with a cover story by Gabriel Arana called "The Gay Gamble," concerning the federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, scheduled to go to trial in January and widely expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, is being argued by star litigators David Boies and Ted Olson. According to Arana, everything is at stake for gay Americans.

"Perry v. Schwarzenegger indeed asks the 'ultimate question' of whether gays have a federal right to marry, but because the case is alleging that Prop. 8 violated the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, the federal court decision will have implications for gay Americans in nearly every arena of public life, from housing to parenting to military service. The court is set to consider questions as wide-ranging as what it means to be gay and whether it affects one's contribution to society. It's not just marriage rights on trial; it's homosexuality itself."
 
Read the article here.