More on democracy and marriage

Since when do we have to put every change in marriage law to a referendum? Before same-sex marriage, the only example that comes to my mind was miscegenation. Advocates of putting same-sex marriage to a referendum never cite that example. When I do, they either clam up or shower me with epithets. Neither of those is exactly an appeal to reason. Besides, if Republicans can get away with posturing as the last best hope for democracy in D.C., then irony truly is dead.