Time Gay Marriage Cover: 'Gay Marriage Already Won' In Supreme Court Marriage Equality Hearings [PHOTO]

The new issue of Time Magazine asserts that “Gay Marriage Already Won,” regardless of the Supreme Court’s final decision in a pair of highly publicized gay marriage cases this week.

“The Supreme Court Hasn’t Made Up Its Mind—But America Has,” the cover boldly declares. The provocative issue’s fold-out cover prominently features a gay couple kissing.

The issue’s cover story, written by Time’s David von Drehle, avows that the fight for marriage equality may be reaching critical mass. He states that recent polls suggest a growing base of support, bolstered by the efforts of a progressive younger generation, has turned the tide in favor of gay marriage.

According to von Drehle’s report, the Supreme Court’s final decision may be less important that the perceptible shift in the court of public opinion.

Yet no matter what the Justices decide after withdrawing behind their velvet curtain, the courtroom debate — and the period leading up to it — made clear that we have all been eyewitnesses to history. In recent days, weeks and months, the verdict on same-sex marriage has been rendered by rapidly shifting public opinion and by the spectacle of swing-vote politicians scrambling to keep up with it. With stunning speed, a concept dismissed even by most gay-rights leaders just 20 years ago is now embraced by half or more of all Americans, with support among young voters running as high as 4 to 1.

According to Business Insider, the groundswell of support for gay rights may soon be sealed in law. SCOTUSblog states that the Supreme Court is “80 percent likely” to abolish the Defense of Marriage Act. According to BI, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who holds the crucial swing vote among the Court's nine judges, made statements suggesting that DOMA was a violation of state's rights. You can see SCOTUSblog’s tweet on the subject below.

Time’s daring new cover isn’t the publication's first foray into edgy cover images. In May 2012, Time unveiled a cover that featured a woman overtly breastfeeding her child, drawing a strong response across several social media platforms.